Business and Pleasure
by Leese1
Summary: Marty gets involved - again
1. Default Chapter

Title: Business and Pleasure, One  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Stingers, etc. etc.  
  
Note: As I said I don't have heaps of time to make up really concrete storylines in relation to the timeline of the show and stuff like that. So when I say two weeks, I really mean probably four or more and that they just have really good memories :P  
  
Part One  
  
Angie scratched her nose in thought.  
  
"He won't like it Mac."  
  
"He liked it fine enough last time." She sighed.  
  
"Yeah but you don't understand how hard I had to push him and it, well...He got too nervous." Mac narrowed her eyes, smirking.  
  
"I think you're underestimating him. Tell him we'll pay." Angie hesitated in her response.  
  
"Yeah, well, the money's not the only thing on his mind at the moment."  
  
"Irrelevant," she answered firmly. "I just want the information."  
  
"Yeah, sure thing..." she drifted off, turning on her heels and walking out of the office.  
  
*  
  
"What did she want?"  
  
Angie didn't reply very loudly as she strode past.  
  
"You to shove a pole up your arse." Pete and Danni cast a raised eyebrow at each other, while Oscar turned in his chair.  
  
"What'd she want?" he repeated innocently, not having heard. Angie didn't turn back. He looked over at Danni and Pete.  
  
"Guess those beers didn't do much good then eh mate?" Pete replied, chuckling.  
  
"That was two weeks ago!"  
  
"Mm, yeah, that stuff sinks pretty deep with her."  
  
"I noticed," he grumbled, turning back to his computer.  
  
*  
  
Angie sat on the park bench watching the water lap around the narrow strip of sand at her feet. She sensed him approach and didn't turn around, waiting for him to see her first. He did.  
  
"What a shocker," he mumbled, sitting next to her. "I suppose I should ask why you're here, but it's getting old."  
  
"You can leave any time." He laughed, looking away and scoffing.  
  
"Yeah you've made that perfectly clear," he replied, sarcasm filtering through the soft tones. She didn't reply and he turned to face her. Ange waited until she had his full attention.  
  
"You do this for me, after, you can go if you want. If you really want."  
  
"I don't believe you." Her eyes sparkled.  
  
"Yeah you do." He held back his smile, grimacing instead.  
  
"Means I'll probably get killed," he replied loosely.  
  
"You do, I do."  
  
*  
  
Oscar spotted them walking down the city streets. He casually put the earpiece to his phone into his right ear and spoke.  
  
"Yeah just in the mall at the moment...No, yeah I'll be listening...Yeah...Yeah Mac, bye."  
  
He hung up, taking the earpiece out of his ear and keeping an eye on them as they entered the little nick-knack shop. Oscar entered also, pretending to browse. Angie knew he was there.  
  
Marty leant up against the counter.  
  
"Herman there?"  
  
"Busy." Mary slid a fifty across the counter.  
  
"I'll take a stamp then, eh?"  
  
"Be right back." The salesperson turned and walked out the back before reappearing. "Come through." Marty was passed through almost without question. Two men approached Angie however, pushing her up against the wall. She didn't flinch, rolling her eyes.  
  
"I'm with him?" she stated, her voice rising toward the end in aggravation. Marty nodded towards her, letting her know it was standard. He hadn't told her how thorough they were going to be on the first meeting; not that she hadn't expected it however.  
  
*  
  
"They didn't buy it," Marty got straight into later once they'd reached a safe hearing distance. Angie laughed, turning to him as she walked.  
  
"They did."  
  
"I didn't buy it! Why would a girl like you want to buy some guns."  
  
"You know why."  
  
"Yes, and it is a good cover, it's just-"  
  
"And what do you mean girl like me anyway?" She wasn't taking him that seriously, but as he didn't respond she changed her attitude. "Look I need to get this done, even if you're not going to back me up."  
  
"You think I'd leave you in there and just give you up?"  
  
"Would you?" she asked, swinging her bag by her side as she eyed a new dress shop across the road. She was so engrossed she didn't hear Marty answer. "Huh?" she managed as he finished. He just shook his head, scoffing. "Look, I, uh I'll make it up to you."  
  
"You going to give me my life back?"  
  
"If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have a life."  
  
"So you keep reminding me."  
  
"It's business. Let's just go get some guns."  
  
*  
  
Mac sat on the edge of Angie's desk.  
  
"All right you were in there for?"  
  
"Not long as I'm *sure* Oscar has already told you."  
  
"Hey I was just doing surveillance!" he defended. She didn't reply. Mac cast her eyes from one to the other. They were still on that? She'd have to settle it eventually she supposed. Meanwhile, Angie got back to answering Mac's original question.  
  
"Yeah, ten, fifteen minutes or so. Spent most of that asking me who I was, connections I had, what I wanted and why, patting me down, stuff like that."  
  
"They question Marty?"  
  
"Nope." She paused.  
  
"Can you get away with a wire next time?" Angie smirked.  
  
"Not unless you can stick it somewhere they're not going to pat down." Danni laughed.  
  
"That'll be the day!" she exclaimed. Mac smiled.  
  
"I'll take that as a no." She stood from the desk. "All right, um, good work. Oscar, can I see you for a moment?" He nodded, following her up.  
  
*  
  
"Do you want to share what's going on?"  
  
"With-?"  
  
"I'm sure Angie would jump at the chance, or that's how it appears-"  
  
"Oh, um, last week." Mac took a seat at her desk.  
  
"While it was the right decision to come to me, you do understand that when you betray a confidence in the job like this it's difficult to regain someone's trust, especially when that someone has been doing this job for a long time, and doesn't know who to trust so easily, don't you?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"It would be the same for you I'd assume?"  
  
"I'd assume it of everybody here."  
  
"Good then we're clear?"  
  
"Yes," he replied. Mac smiled.  
  
"Send Ange in?"  
  
*  
  
"Ange, take a seat." Mac stood and leant against her desk, smiling and looking relaxed.  
  
"I'm really sorry for beating up on Oscar-"  
  
"You still mad at him?"  
  
"Not really-"  
  
"You know that while he did betray your confidence he made the right decision coming to me, things still worked out, and you shouldn't trust him any less with any issue, business or personal."  
  
"I know Mac."  
  
"All clear then?"  
  
"Yes," she too replied. Mac took a seat back at her desk.  
  
"Oh Ange," she called out, and Angie turned at the door. "Heard from Sam?" Angie hesitated, before shaking her head slightly. Mac nodded as the door closed in front of her.  
  
*  
  
"Do those guys follow you everywhere?" Marty remarked. Angie blushed, resisting the urge to look around.  
  
"Which guys?" she asked innocently. Marty levelled her gaze.  
  
"You know which." She turned her eyes skyward.  
  
"Not real-ly-"  
  
"Skinny 'n Paunch, Tall 'n Shorter, Straight 'n Curly."  
  
"Ah, that's them!" she replied. "Not always."  
  
"Shouldn't they be finished following you now? Considering we're finished with Herman for the day."  
  
"Yep they're just going home." He paused.  
  
"And where's that?" Angie stopped and looked down the street until she saw the Com-V.  
  
"Bout ten cars that way."  
  
"Ah the flower truck!"  
  
"Unmarked."  
  
"As per usual."  
  
"Mm, yep. Hey..." she stopped, turning to him. "Do you want some lunch?"  
  
"Do I have to pay?"  
  
"Cheap, but no."  
  
"I've never refused." They turned and walked back into the shopping area, passing Pete and Oscar on their way, Pete nodding and giving them a small smile in acknowledgement.  
  
*  
  
"So," Marty started, burger half way to his mouth. "What are they like?"  
  
"Skinny 'n Paunch?"  
  
"Mm, and the others."  
  
"Good, yeah." Marty laughed. "What?"  
  
"Good? It's good?"  
  
"You do this every time-"  
  
"I'm not putting down your job, it's just that, well, do you all get on?" She shrugged.  
  
"Well enough. There are moments and then there are," she put on a face. "*Moments!*"  
  
"Ugly, eh?"  
  
"Messy, yeah." She laughed. "Just like you!" Marty looked down to see a piece of tomato half way down his shirt.  
  
"Shit," he whispered, and Angie laughed as he picked it off.  
  
"It'll stain."  
  
"I am aware of that yes. Do you want to finish this at my place?"  
  
"Do I have to pay?"  
  
"All free!"  
  
"Okay," she replied hesitantly.  
  
*  
  
"As I was saying-" Marty's voice filtered into the living room where Angie was waiting for him to change his shirt. He re-emerged sporting a different colour but similar style. "Any of them saved your life?" She nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah!" He seemed startled. "I owe them a lot. They owe me a lot too!" She grinned.  
  
"And this is a usual occurrence."  
  
"Not *every* day!"  
  
"Like when?"  
  
"Oh, uh, well Paunch has pretty good timing actually...Actually," she drifted off, thinking back. "Yeah he's uh, done a lot for me."  
  
"Yeah but how many times has he saved your life?"  
  
"We want to start comparing do we?" She paused. "Um, well no names - there was the time with the cat breeder – some are easier to remember than others of course – um, I'm trying to think of some older ones!" She laughed, thinking back. "Oh well um yeah, there was my stalker in the silo and uh, the guy who shot our old boss – got the scar to prove that!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" He raised his eyebrows. Angie narrowed her eyes.  
  
"It's nowhere interesting, and you can't see it any more. I can but nobody else apparently." He didn't reply for a long time, and Angie sat there before having to push herself to start back onto business. "So you right with-"  
  
"You had a stalker?" he interrupted. She rushed her response.  
  
"Yeah, while-back-no-need-to-dwell." She didn't make eye contact until she was finished. "Let's talk business, all right?" He sighed.  
  
"You know you're less fun-"  
  
"Oh I know, you'll have to live with it."  
  
*  
  
Danni looked up to see Oscar watching her. Her eyes hit the ceiling, before moving left and right. Nope, no one else he could be looking at. She stared back at him. He put his hand on the other side of her desk and watched her.  
  
"How you going Danni?" he asked, concerned and in all seriousness. Danni's eyebrow shot up, neck reeled back and she tilted her head to its left side.  
  
"Good...Do you want to do my paperwork?"  
  
"Anything else, but no, I don't. Sorry." She shook her head in amazement.  
  
"I'm fine...Stoney." He nodded.  
  
"That's good," and turned back to his work. Danni threw a face but quickly hid it as he faced her almost immediately afterwards.  
  
"Can I help you Oscar?" she asked, now the one more concerned than he. He nodded, again his face revealing such a perplexed expression.  
  
"Can I ask you a...question?"  
  
"If this is regarding Pete and I-"  
  
"No, Ange."  
  
"Oh that I can help you with!" she replied brightly. "Advice? Not that I recommend you-"  
  
"Yeah, uh, no. Look she's spending a lot of time with this Marty informant of hers."  
  
"They're on a job together Stone," she replied. "You know that's what you do. Spend time together, talk about the deal, do the deal – kind of standard."  
  
"Yeah but I just, wonder if I can trust him-"  
  
"You're not the one who *needs* to trust him. Ange is, and she does."  
  
"Yes but, well Mac said something this morning and-"  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"That maybe Angie's been doing this job too long it's not as easy for her to work out who to trust as it used to be." A smirk came over Danni's face.  
  
"And you think that doesn't apply to you, or Mac, or me? Or Pete! He's been doing this the longest – you don't see him falling on his face every job he does – not yet, anyway!" Oscar managed a smile.  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"Look let it be, she's fine, she's not seeing Marty as anything other than a business associate."  
  
At that moment Angie walked in and Pete popped out from Mac's office.  
  
"Where you been?" he called to her. "Going backwards today, your car was the other way."  
  
"Yeah, we had lunch."  
  
"Long lunch," Danni put in.  
  
"Oh yeah he got tomato on his shirt and so we went home and he changed."  
  
"He...changed?" Oscar put in, slipping Danni a glance. Angie shrugged, not getting the undertone.  
  
"Yeah, then we went over a couple of things for the deal in a week or so. I think I've finally got them to trust me." Angie and Pete went their separate ways as Danni sent the glance back to Oscar.  
  
"See..." she mouthed. "Work." Then she grinned.  
  
*  
  
Oscar sat at his computer the following day, trying to find something to do. He was flat out of paperwork – a rarity – but wasn't exactly rostered off for another half hour. He got up the database and started looking through a couple of files on the police intranet. After about ten minutes and ever-increasing boredom rates, he had a thought, typing in the key figures in the current case Angie was working on – background! In another ten minutes he had located what he thought was an interesting connection, and in another ten, he'd printed out the cross-reference. This was going to be interesting...  
  
*  
  
"Ange?" Oscar asked, poking his head into the locker area.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, turning.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Mmhmm," she replied, turning back and fishing inside her locker for Oscar-could-hardly-guess-what.  
  
"Well I thought I should come to you first..."  
  
"Oh right." She wasn't paying that much attention, Oscar hoped that what he had to tell her would make her stand up straighter.  
  
"Marty is Herman's cousin."  
  
"Mm is he?"  
  
"Don't you think there might be some conflict of interest there?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Cousin...Cop...Whose company is paid?"  
  
"Doesn't mean it's bad company."  
  
"Yeah no, but I mean, last meeting you got into a bit of trouble, he didn't fish you out with the story."  
  
"No, if he did that every time it would be a little suspicious!"  
  
"I just want you to be careful."  
  
"I will be."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yep." Her brow creased and she stuck her head back into her locker. "Where the hell's my file?"  
  
"On your desk."  
  
"I think I'd know if it was on my desk!" she exclaimed, and Oscar silently walked back outside. Angie waited for him to go, before turning and bolting – silently, so he didn't turn to see – to Mac's office.  
  
Mac looked up sharply upon her unannounced entrance.  
  
"Hey you wanna grab a drink tonight?" Mac began to ask, before she saw the victorious expression on Angie's face. Her eyes narrowed. "What...?" Angie composed herself.  
  
"I think you should keep an eye on Oscar." Mac put her head in her hands.  
  
"Not again! You two are impossible."  
  
"No really Mac, he's got some warped idea that Marty is Herman's cousin and he's trying to make me promise to be careful."  
  
"You should be careful anyway!"  
  
"Look I don't want him jeopardising my operation!"  
  
"I know, um, look I'll take him off your surveillance."  
  
"That'll only make him suspicious."  
  
"Isn't the whole point of this that he knows you came to me? So you can get him back because he's annoying you?"  
  
"Uh...no..."  
  
"I mean are you really worried about timid little Oscar?" Mac raised her eyebrows and Angie knew she was playing.  
  
"No," she conceded.  
  
"Okay then I'll let him know we spoke of this. Drink?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
*  
  
"Sorry I'm late," Angie stated two nights later. "You ready to go over the deal?" Marty nodded, letting her in and accepting the bottle of wine she'd brought with her.  
  
"You okay?" he asked as she bustled in and made herself comfortable. She turned to him, eyes wide.  
  
"Oh yeah fine."  
  
"What?" he asked again, not believing her. It took a moment but eventually Angie sighed.  
  
"Oh I'm in the shits with my parents."  
  
"Mm-"  
  
"I couldn't help it, I told them about Sam-"  
  
"Everything?" She shook her head.  
  
"I shouldn't have, but I did, they're blaming me. They don't understand...that I helped her. I did!"  
  
"No one's heard from her, eh?" She shook her head.  
  
"No." Marty came and sat next to her on his couch.  
  
"Don't let it get you down."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. I, well, you startled me at first but it was a side of you I've never seen."  
  
"You haven't seen that many sides then."  
  
"More than you think."  
  
"Oh?" He nodded.  
  
"Although I'm yet to see your, really caring, side." Angie looked at her lap.  
  
"Yeah, well, thanks you know for doing that. It wasn't expected of you and I, well thanks."  
  
"And there it is!" She tried to muffle a laugh, before looking up at him, tears in her eyes.  
  
"It meant a lot to me." He nodded, suddenly nervous at looking into her eyes for a second longer. He broke away.  
  
"Business, eh?"  
  
"Yeah," Angie sighed, trying to relax. "It's really simple you just have to be next to me, and when the cops come, you put your hands up. You act like you had no idea. But don't try to resist arrest, they'll hit you."  
  
"Happened before?"  
  
"Mmhmm, many a time."  
  
"I'll be right."  
  
"Will you?" Marty paused.  
  
"What's with the sudden doubt?"  
  
"Well...don't worry."  
  
"No, tell."  
  
"Oscar told me-"  
  
"Oscar?"  
  
"Skinny." She smirked. "He told me you were Herman's cousin?" She bit her bottom lip and Marty really did try not to laugh, but he couldn't help himself – he did. Angie was getting herself worked up, having been on this case for long enough already, spending many late nights alone at the factory tidying files and reports, logging her statements for each meeting considering wires were out of the question. She turned to him, shaking her head.  
  
"Please don't laugh at me," she replied steadily. Marty stopped, shaking his head and reaching out to touch her shoulder.  
  
"No, I wasn't, I mean, I am Herman's cousin." Angie wiped her eyes.  
  
"What?" He nodded.  
  
"Well, we *were* cousins, for about three years."  
  
"One of your parents married out?" He shook his head.  
  
"Narr, I was um, in foster homes growing up mostly. That was one of them."  
  
"Sorry-"  
  
"Don't be! If you're worried about whose side I'm on I don't think I have to defend my allegiance to you, you've got me standing in a noose."  
  
"No I don't." Marty raised his eyebrows. "You can leave any time you want."  
  
"Bull shit!" She shook her head.  
  
"No! That was before! Now, I know you, look what I did for Sam, yeah? I could get you out of the loophole easily, it's my job - disappearing. If you wanted to leave-"  
  
"I don't want to leave."  
  
"Good," she replied, calming.  
  
*  
  
Marty walked Angie to his front door later that night.  
  
"You right to get home? You're sure?"  
  
"Yeah, taxi's waiting. I'll come by and get my car tomorrow morning?" He nodded.  
  
"Got your keys?" She held them up, jangling them. "See ya!" He called as she turned and walked away. She stopped, walking back and pulling him into a hug.  
  
"Thanks," she replied. "You're a big help." He nodded, not game enough to kiss her again just yet. "See ya."  
  
*  
  
"Danni stop!" Angie protested as she sat on the chair and Danni had free-reign over the amount of spray that was being put into her hair. "I think my hair is one of my least concerns."  
  
"You are a successful international businesswoman, you should have nice hair. Plus," she held up a mirror for Angie. "It looks really good!" Angie managed a smile. It did look good, she just had her mind on other things. She stood, walking over to her jacket and pulling it on, professionally buttoning it up as Mac entered, in a strikingly similar wardrobe. Danni gasped.  
  
"Who raided Mac's cupboard!" she exclaimed. Mac took one look at Angie, then herself, and spread her arms.  
  
"I dress like this all the time!" she defended.  
  
"You know we should have a casual day," Angie suggested. Mac's brow creased.  
  
"Every day is a casual day for you lot."  
  
"Well then you should!"  
  
"Oh and rock up to a homicide in jeans and a sweater?" Danni and Angie nodded.  
  
"We would." Mac frowned.  
  
"We'll see."  
  
"Fifty bucks she doesn't," Danni said. Angie turned to her.  
  
"You're on."  
  
*  
  
Oscar cornered Angie as she was getting ready to leave.  
  
"Wow you two twins or something?" he asked, referring once again to Mac and Angie's clothing.  
  
"Shut it, all right?" Angie started.  
  
"Hey you dobbed me in."  
  
"What a shocker," she replied, taking Marty's phrase from earlier. "Oh and Marty is Herman's cousin." Oscar grinned – he knew she'd check. "But only for a couple of years."  
  
"Who died and remarried?" Angie's eyes narrowed, her face in a scowl.  
  
"He grew up in foster homes?" she suggested, in all seriousness, and Oscar seemed to back down.  
  
"Oh," was all he said. She mocked him.  
  
"Yes, 'oh!'"  
  
*  
  
Angie stood professionally beside Marty as the careful selection of guns was offered to her across the table. She viewed them, picking one up occasionally and looking it over more carefully. It didn't take her long to make her final choice, silently pointing them out. The guns were placed in their secure cases and handed to Marty as Angie dealt with the money. She took the bundles of fifties and hundreds from her briefcase, laying each one out on the table. They counted the number of bundles the amount in one bundle and did the math. It added up – as expected. The money was then bundled back into the briefcase and handed over to Herman. Angie smiled.  
  
"Thankyou," she stated plainly, before turning and walking out, Marty close behind her.  
  
They exited the shop entirely just as police began entering. Angie gave a small smile as the goods were handed over to uniform. Mac approached them. She patted Angie on the side of the arm.  
  
"Nice work you two, sorry we're a bit late, you should get off the street till all this calms down." Angie nodded as Mac continued on her way.  
  
"That one of them?" Marty asked. Angie nodded, smiling.  
  
"Yeah, that's Mac."  
  
"I thought you weren't really supposed to share their details."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
*  
  
Once they were back in Angie's car she reached into her own bag, pulling out an envelope and handing it over. Marty shook his head.  
  
"I don't want it."  
  
"Take it," she smiled. "You did well."  
  
"I don't want your money."  
  
"It's not my money, it's our taxes." He hesitated, but shook his head.  
  
"Nup look, I'll keep doing this, helping you out, but I don't want money."  
  
"If you're not on the payroll, and something happens to you, or me because of you, it won't be thoroughly looked into with the idea you were still an informant."  
  
"Maybe I don't want to be just an informant any more." Angie watched him.  
  
"What do you want to be?" she asked. Stupid question, she knew, but she couldn't help herself. It had been so long since anyone had actually wanted anything else.  
  
"Just with you," he replied, shrugging. "That's all."  
  
"Like um, dinner and um..." She was lost for words, and stumbled, biting her bottom lip and looking into her lap.  
  
"Yeah, and that." She looked back up at him.  
  
"You can't get protective during the jobs."  
  
"I'll hook you up with someone else, who won't."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My brother."  
  
"*Your* brother?"  
  
"Yeah, we went through a lot together."  
  
"He connected?" Marty nodded.  
  
"I'll talk to him. He'll have to meet you of course!"  
  
"Oh, of course!" Angie watched him as he traced her jawline with his fingers. "Um, I haven't been with anyone for a very long time. At all. Not even a drink." Marty grinned.  
  
"That's got nothing to do with you, I can assure that. Comes with the job."  
  
"Seems it." There was a long pause. "So...What now?" Marty grinned.  
  
"I think this is the bit where I'm supposed to kiss you." He winked and Angie nodded, smiling as she put a hand to his cheek, kissing him back briefly.  
  
They broke apart as Angie's mobile started to ring.  
  
"You'll get used to it," she whispered. "I hope!" as she answered. There was a long pause as Angie listened to the other line, before responding. "Sam?"  
  
TBC... 


	2. Business and Pleasure, Two

Title: Business and Pleasure, Two  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: (my disclaimer from the first part applies here too) I'm not exactly sure what the daughter's name was, so I'm going to call her Emily. :P  
  
Marty's ears pricked up as Angie continued on the phone.  
  
"Where are you?" She turned to face him as he let a hand rest on her shoulder momentarily. "Yeah, Sam but this isn't long distance. Where are you?..." Her brow creased. "Hello?" She hung up the phone, mocking her sister's voice. "Just let mum and dad know I'm okay."  
  
"Don't sound so overjoyed." Angie scowled.  
  
"She's run off again? Don't you understand that? She's taken my money and run off." She sighed. "Probably slumming around-"  
  
"How much did you give her?" Angie didn't answer. "How much?" he repeated.  
  
"Minus the plane ticket...couple of thousand."  
  
"She'll be grateful."  
  
"Well she's got a great way of showing it! 'Oh yeah tell *mum and dad* I'm all right.' Never mind about me. Who cares if I know she's all right. No, I haven't been worrying at all. No, *mum and dad* don't think this is my fault at all! Just because I can never see them and I don't have time – I have better things to do! I can't just walk off and have lunch with them any time I want-"  
  
"No you have to have lunch with the druggies, eh?"  
  
"Dealers are not druggies."  
  
"Not all of them."  
  
"I have to go," she stated firmly.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Where do you think!?" Marty nodded, not thinking anything and got out of her car, walking back to his own. No sooner had he shut the door than Angie was off, pulling out of her parking space as quickly as she could.  
  
*  
  
Angie stormed into the factory some time later, only to see Danni and Mac arguing.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked, not at all interested but she may as well contribute something. Danni looked over at her.  
  
"You owe me fifty bucks!" she grinned, and Angie picked up on the fact that it wasn't a serious argument.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Mac just came back from Homicide," Danni replied, raising her eyebrows. Angie didn't respond – at all. "Notice the lack of a suit." Angie looked Mac over in her skirt and blouse, before struggling not to laugh – she wasn't in the mood.  
  
"I'm not giving you fifty bucks for that. It's good enough!"  
  
"Oh, but-" Danni whined. Angie shook her head and Mac spoke.  
  
"See, my casual's not casual to everyone, not at work. But this isn't a suit." Angie stretched out her hand.  
  
"Cough up." Danni frowned.  
  
"You're always on her side."  
  
"No I'm not." Danni raised her eyebrows. "And you know it."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." She looked over at Angie. "Get you later."  
  
"Sure, Mac can I have those negs?" She nodded, and Angie followed her into her office.  
  
"Everything all right?" Mac asked. Angie nodded, flicking through the surveillance shots. "Basically," Mac began explaining the shots. "Now that we've got Herman I'd like us to go one up."  
  
"One up?" Mac nodded.  
  
"I'd like you to come down to HQ with me later, I'm going to introduce you around. They want your thoughts considering you know Herman so well."  
  
"HQ want *my* thoughts?" Mac nodded.  
  
"Say, in an hour?" Angie checked her watch.  
  
"I can do that."  
  
"Good I'll meet you there." Angie nodded, slipping the negatives back into the file.  
  
"What do you mean by one up exactly?" she asked suddenly.  
  
"I'll explain there," Mac replied, shrugging it off. "Nothing you can't handle."  
  
"Okay well I have to run. An hour."  
  
"Mm."  
  
*  
  
Angie rolled her eyes as she stuck the earpiece into her left ear, keeping a careful eye on the road and connecting the call.  
  
"I'm on my way," she answered before anything else could be spoken, her Caller ID jumping in. "I can't stay. What? You're breaking up. Look I'll be there in ten."  
  
*  
  
Angie's mother put down the phone.  
  
"She'll be here in ten apparently."  
  
"I'll go and wait outside for her I think," Marty said, standing.  
  
*  
  
Angie cursed as she saw Marty standing on the front step, jumping out of the car as he walked up to her.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. "This is my parent's house!"  
  
"I followed you."  
  
"Oh great!" she replied sarcastically. "What did you tell them?" She didn't wait for a reply. "Not that I can't guess." She sighed. "Ooh, come on I can't stay."  
  
They entered the house.  
  
"Ah, she returns," her father stated.  
  
"Sorry, all right? I had to check some things at work."  
  
"You didn't tell us about Marty-" her mother cut in, eyeing her suspiciously. Angie cast a glance over at him. He was standing next to her, rather expressionless. She turned back.  
  
"Sorry-"  
  
"Are you going to find Sam?" her father cut in.  
  
"She can look after herself. She's fine, I told you earlier."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No I took care of it." She checked her watch, trying to work out how long it would take her to go home and get into fresher clothes and then back to HQ in time to meet Mac. Not long, she decided. "I have to go," she stated hurriedly.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"I have a huge meeting that I have to prepare for." Marty looked over at her with interest, but didn't say anything.  
  
"I should go as well," he conceded, shaking her father's hand and looking over at her mother. "Nice seeing you again Mrs Piper."  
  
"Any time Marty," she replied, as Angie briefly kissed their cheeks and brushed past them out the door.  
  
*  
  
Angie arrived at HQ only a minute or so later than she had planned, and Mac stood, smiling.  
  
"Do I look okay?" Angie asked. Mac looked at her neat skirt and top.  
  
"Fine. Relax, it's just Love, Reg and Chatterly."  
  
"Oh, is that all?" she replied sarcastically. Mac laughed, letting her hand rest on Angie's arm for a moment.  
  
"This way."  
  
*  
  
"This is her," Reg stated as Mac and Angie entered. Love smiled tightly and Chatterly nodded.  
  
"Angie?" She nodded, taking a seat next to Mac.  
  
"Do you know why you're here?" Love asked her.  
  
"No, I don't. I assume this is connected to Herman Shier though?"  
  
"In a way," Mac cut in. Harry cut her off.  
  
"Yes we'd like you to go into a similar situation again-" This time Angie cut in.  
  
"I don't see how it can possibly be similar when it involves Homicide, Undercover, Fraud and the Drug Squad."  
  
"Our target is a suspected murderer, drug dealer who deals in illegal firearms licenses for business, particularly one business that is selling weapons to almost every criminal on the street."  
  
"Why don't I think it's that simple?" Love looked over at Mac.  
  
"She is sharp." He turned back to Angie, who was waiting expectantly. "We'd like to get him for everything. Once we arrest him for the licenses, we've lost the murder charge and drugs because there's simply not enough evidence collated so far." Angie looked over at Mac.  
  
"What makes you think I can do this? Shouldn't someone more experienced like Church-"  
  
"You're plenty experienced," Mac assured her.  
  
"This is big."  
  
"It will probably take about six months to a year for you to get all the information." Angie's eyes widened.  
  
"I'd be undercover all that time?"  
  
"No, you're travelling. You'll be given time off as part of your cover. During that time you will supposedly be sourcing, but of course we'll take care of all the technical details."  
  
*  
  
Marty opened the door to his house later that night.  
  
"What did you mean again?" Angie asked straight away.  
  
"Hello," Marty answered. "How are you?"  
  
"Good, what did you mean?"  
  
"About..." Marty let her in and she walked in quickly, dumping a very large bag on his dining room table.  
  
"You said nice to see you 'again'. Again?"  
  
"To your mum?"  
  
"Hey dad-" Emily called, walking into the lounge room. She stopped when she saw Angie. "Hi," she stated hesitantly.  
  
"This is Angie," Marty said. She looked at him.  
  
"Okay. Do you have any double A batteries?"  
  
"In my desk drawer I think."  
  
"Thanks." She turned and walked out. Marty turned back to Angie.  
  
"That's Emily." Her jaw dropped.  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Your mum taught me in year ten."  
  
"She did?"  
  
"Yeah, that's how I knew her."  
  
"Oh, um, can we talk?"  
  
"Business or pleasure?"  
  
"Both." She cast her eyes to down his hallway, where she knew Emily was. "Mainly business."  
  
"Sure, how about later tonight."  
  
"Eight okay?"  
  
*  
  
"So what do you have to do?"  
  
"I have to get in there first." She slid across a couple of photos. "You know any of them?" Marty let his head roll from side to side.  
  
"Possibly."  
  
"I'll be doing this and that for a while."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Mm, have to get him on four separate charges."  
  
"Who'd he kill?" he joked. Angie looked at him seriously.  
  
"Couple of his old business dealers." She sighed. "Also imported a couple of kilos of smack, also issuing false firearms licenses."  
  
"Fourth charge?"  
  
"There's two murders."  
  
"Won't you be having fun." Angie looked up at him.  
  
"We," she said, breaking into a suspicious smile.  
  
"We..."  
  
"I need you to get me in initially."  
  
"I think I remember telling you I didn't want to do this any more?"  
  
"You're the only one who can get any of us in. And Mac wants me."  
  
"Can I line you up with someone else?"  
  
"I don't have time to trust them."  
  
"And you trust me?"  
  
"Yeah, I do." He sighed.  
  
"What if I screw up? These guys, if they've done what you say they have-"  
  
"We'll be okay. As soon as I'm in and I'm past the first stage"  
  
"What if I don't like the idea of leaving you in there without knowing what's going to happen?"  
  
"You're either going or you're staying. If you stay you have to stay for the whole operation. Once you're gone there'll be no need to call you back – I hope not anyway – but if you stay with me, you'll have to be 'with' me, the whole time." He nodded.  
  
"I'll think it over."  
  
"Good. All right so how can we ge-"  
  
"Thought about it, I'm in." Angie looked at him.  
  
"Really?" He nodded. She shifted her whole body to face it. "Are you sure?" He looked straight into her eyes.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What about Emily?"  
  
"She's back at her mum's for a while now. Don't worry yourself with her safety." Angie sat back.  
  
"We'll cover the salary you're going to lose from work." He shook his head. She laughed, rolling her eyes. "We will! And um, you're going to have to go over the file, be completely familiar with my cover. Everything."  
  
"Ange, I've done it before."  
  
"I'll have to check it with Mac, she um, might want to talk to you."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Okay then."  
  
"Dinner?" She nodded.  
  
"Sure."  
  
*  
  
Mac looked Marty over as he sat in the factory.  
  
"Sorry about the blindfold," she mentioned casually. He shrugged.  
  
"I've come to expect as much."  
  
"Angie explained everything?"  
  
"Pretty much." She nodded.  
  
"Okay follow me." She walked up to her office and Marty followed, looking back at Angie, but she smiled, reassuring him.  
  
*  
  
"All right Marty let's hear it," Mac began.  
  
"Hear what?" She leant against her desk.  
  
"You have a successful cleaning business and a bit of extra profit coming in on the side, you've got a daughter and someone to take care of. Why don't you get out at the start like we offered?"  
  
"I'm not sure what you mean there." Mac folded her arms across her chest and gave her a knowing glance.  
  
"How close are you and Angie?"  
  
"You're in charge of the relationships, eh?"  
  
"No I'm in charge of making sure she doesn't die, because I don't want that."  
  
"Why do you think I would?"  
  
"I don't, but maybe you wouldn't too much?"  
  
"I can control myself." Mac nodded.  
  
"I know. All right, as long as if anything happens – Angie's explained the salary to you?"  
  
"It's not necessary."  
  
"We think it is." She reached back and pulled out a sheet of paper. "And can you sign here?" He did.  
  
*  
  
"So...what next?" Marty asked as Angie looked him up and down.  
  
"I think you're right. You ready?" He nodded.  
  
"Let's go then, eh?"  
  
"Mm, let's."  
  
TBC...  
  
Might not get the next part finished before camp on Monday, if not as soon as I get back on Wednesday, watch stingers, ring Catt, do my email, chat to my friends that I haven't spoken to, and um...Get my film developed and kill my scanner and send pics to ppl, THEN I'll finish it. Hehehehehehe Narr, kidding, maybe this weekend? :| 


	3. Business and Pleasure, 3

Title: Business and Pleasure, Three  
  
Author: Lisa  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part Three. Apparently the daughter's name is Katie, but I'm gonna keep calling her Emily. Hehe :P (disclaimer of the first applies here also)  
  
  
  
"I don't see why this is such a long operation. All you do is buy some coke off him, eh?" Angie tried her very hardest not to scoff.  
  
"Well, yes, except Reg *thinks* that the target-"  
  
"Jeff Lamenia?"  
  
"Mm," she nodded. "Is importing from overseas shipments. To get information on that I'm going to have to get close to his business dealings, his comings and goings, become familiar with his contacts. You will too."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Okay and then there'll be the murder charges." She looked over at him, eyes twinkling. "Most people don't exactly admit to murder the first time you meet them.  
  
"Lamenia isn't most people."  
  
"Neither am I, and I still wouldn't do it." There was a pause.  
  
"Have you?"  
  
"What?" she looked over at him. "What have I done?" He didn't laugh.  
  
"Have you ever killed someone?" Angie didn't reply, but it wasn't so obvious that she was hesitating. "I mean, this isn't exactly our first meeting. I think I should know."  
  
"You would judge me on that?" He didn't reply for some time, until shaking his head.  
  
"I don't think I would, because I think you'd only kill someone if you had to."  
  
"Well," she looked away. "I did."  
  
"Just once?" She shrugged.  
  
"That's not important."  
  
"It's the ones you remember, eh?"  
  
"I remember them all, but the ones I remember the most, yeah."  
  
"What did they do?"  
  
"He, uh, was about to kill my friend and his family. There were others, my stalker and that, I mean it's not like we pull the trigger in the normal course of the job-"  
  
"You might have to here." She shrugged.  
  
"I'll do my best to avoid that." She watched him. "Lamenia here we come?" He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, got that."  
  
*  
  
Angie spotted Lamenia as soon as he came within her line of sight and recognised him immediately.  
  
"Louise, who's this?" he demanded, talking of Marty in particular. Who cared about Angie when Louise was around! Louise, his wife, smiled.  
  
"Jeff this is Kayla and her friend Marty. He's done a couple of favours for me, we owe him one."  
  
"Yeah?" Lamenia looked over at Marty. "You look familiar, all right then." Angie watched as he turned and looked her up and down. Hmm, she thought, knowing what he liked to do in his spare time – not that it wasn't in his file already. "What about her?"  
  
"Kayla," Louise replied. "She's going to be helping me in the office. Needs some pocket money." Lamenia chuckled.  
  
"Right-o then. Just make sure she does admin only, nothing too heavy!" Louise nodded.  
  
"I know." Lamenia turned on his heels and left. He was tall, broad and a largish man with a very large presence in any room. Louise, on the other hand was slighter, with long light brown hair streaked with subtle blonde. She smiled over at Angie. "Do you want me to keep showing you around?" Angie nodded.  
  
"Yes thankyou."  
  
"Marty would you like to come?" He shook his head.  
  
"I might wait around down here." Angie nodded also – a perfect opportunity had arisen.  
  
*  
  
Marty waited until both Angie and Louise had gone back upstairs, before looking around for Lamenia. He was nowhere to be seen. Glancing to his left and right at all times, he moved towards the lamp on the side- table near the dining and lounge rooms, quickly and expertly fitting a couple of bugs he'd smuggled into the house in his pockets into the nooks and crannies. Lamenia had a poor track record for bug searches, not like some of the loonies he'd done similar jobs for beforehand.  
  
Marty liked his job at the moment. He wasn't just cleaning, and he liked it. He wondered if it would ever be possible to do more of this work, but in a more honest fashion. Although, as Angie had pointed out only recently, he was getting paid better than she, for doing less in many ways.  
  
In his peripheral he spotted Lamenia walking back from the garden, and went out to meet him on the verandah. The house didn't seem to be as well suited to Melbourne as many of the other upper-class styles, it seemed to be more of a giant double-story Queenslander, but Marty didn't care – it was still very livable.  
  
"They gasbagging still?" Lamenia started. Marty rolled his eyes.  
  
"Showing Kay around the place is what your wife said. She is a very nice woman."  
  
"Mm, she is. Bit homey but good all the same, if you know what I mean!" He winked and Marty laughed. Oh yeah, he knew.  
  
*  
  
Meanwhile Angie roamed the upstairs halls with Louise, and realised that this was an opportunity for some good-quality trust-bonds to form.  
  
"So how long have you been in Melbourne?" Louise asked.  
  
"Oh, a couple of years now. I just haven't had a very good time of it, well, at least up until about six months ago."  
  
"When you met Marty?" Angie smiled.  
  
"Yeah, he's helped me out a bit. I couldn't hold down my last job."  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
"I um, used to work for this company, didn't do much for me in return if you know what I mean? So I left, I wasn't even getting paid standard wages." Louise nodded.  
  
"Well you'll get that here I can assure you." She looked over Angie carefully. "So Kayla-"  
  
"Kay-"  
  
"Kay, are you and Marty close?" Angie laughed politely.  
  
"He's a good friend, we're not 'together.'"  
  
"Ahh, I'll keep that in mind." Anige had no idea why she should want to keep that in mind, but she didn't continue, pretending to look interested as Louise explained which rooms she could enter, which she couldn't...  
  
*  
  
"So how's he going?" Mac grilled late that night back at the factory. Angie shrugged.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Come on Angie you can't keep us in the dark here."  
  
"He got the bugs into the house."  
  
"Well we know that, we've been listening. Tell him that was good work."  
  
"Mm..."  
  
"Do you have something else on your mind?" She did actually, the fact that she still didn't know where Sam was.  
  
"What, oh, no, nothing."  
  
"Keep it that way then."  
  
"How can I get him to talk on the murder charge?"  
  
"Give that some time. One by one, yeah? Like we discussed."  
  
"What if the bugs pick something up?"  
  
"They won't. Louise and Jeff aren't big talkers."  
  
*  
  
Angie opened the door to her safe house and dumped her bag next to the table and mirror in the entrance. Marty popped his head around the corner. It was a two-bedroom house, doubling as Marty's which Angie was staying at temporarily.  
  
"You're late. I thought you only had to report to your boss?" Angie nodded.  
  
"I did, it didn't take long."  
  
"So where were you?" She didn't answer, not in the mood. "I made dinner. You want some?"  
  
"It'll be cold." Marty smiled.  
  
"I can heat it up! That's what microwaves are for." Angie watched him.  
  
"Mm, do you mind if I just go to bed? I'm really tired, I'm so sorry."  
  
"Narr, it's okay, off you go." She nodded, turning into one of the doors to her left.  
  
*  
  
Marty was sitting on one of the kitchen stools when a mobile began to ring. It wasn't his and so he stood, walking to where Angie had put her things. He leant down and began looking through her bag as the ringing got louder – he was getting closer – but then another sound distracted him, filtering through from the shower in the adjacent room. He stood, ignoring the phone that soon ceased ringing, and listened at the door.  
  
"Ange, you okay?" There was no reply for some time, but then the water turned off.  
  
"Yeah, fine," was the dismal reply. She obviously wasn't, but if she wasn't going to talk about it, he wasn't going to push.  
  
*  
  
Angie lay in bed later that night, wide awake and not trying to get to sleep really, preferring to snuggle in the warm blanket and drown in her troubles. What had she done? It had started off so simply...  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Hey." Angie turned at the familiar hand on her back between her shoulder blades. "How'd it go?"  
  
"Not too bad. Where've you been?" Oscar smiled.  
  
"Around, playing with your tapes and things. You wanna go for a drink?" She nodded.  
  
*  
  
"I need a favour," Angie posed once they were comfortable and nibbling on some spicy crackers at their table.  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"Sam called," she said quickly. "It wasn't long distance." It didn't take Oscar long to work out what that meant – she hadn't gotten on the plane.  
  
"Is she..."  
  
"She's fine, apparently, she hung up on me. Look can you see if you can find anything?" Oscar rubbed his nose.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Please?" Angie's eyes filled with tears and Oscar couldn't help himself. He hated seeing her so easily upsettable. "Oscar-"  
  
"I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Don't go to Mac," she finished. "It's not part of this it's-"  
  
"No, I know, I won't..."  
  
"Promise me!" Oscar nodded, reaching out and touching her cheek.  
  
"I promise, hey, don't cry." Angie looked away.  
  
"I'm not!"  
  
"All right then, look how about we get out of here and talk about this somewhere else?" She hesitated, before nodding.  
  
*  
  
Some time later the conversation had changed as Angie and Oscar sat on her couch.  
  
"Can I ask you," Oscar started as Angie looked over at him. "What do you see in this Marty guy?" Angie smiled.  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"Well you do fancy him." She blushed slightly.  
  
"I don't know, he just, he wants to help and understand and well...I don't *fancy* him!" Oscar laughed, pulling her to him around her shoulders playfully.  
  
"Oh yes you do!" She turned, grinning.  
  
"And how do you know?" Oscar's voice softened.  
  
"Cos you used to look at me like that." Angie watched him.  
  
"He doesn't carry a badge." She paused, deciding not to continue defending him. "I, um...Oscar," she reached down and let her fingers run across his jaw. "I still look, you know-" He nodded, letting her relax into him as they kissed.  
  
*  
  
Angie woke to Oscar gently kissing the back of her neck, his arms wrapped around her waist.  
  
"You fell asleep," he whispered, sensing her wake.  
  
"Mm, how long?" She didn't turn around, too comfortable where she was.  
  
"Only half an hour or so..." he drifted off. "Do you have to go back to the safe house?" She nodded.  
  
"You can stay here for the night, if you like, you're always welcome." He nodded.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Angie sighed, back in her makeshift bed, still unable to get to sleep. It's not as though she was worried that it had been meaningless, because it hadn't. For some strange reason she wasn't even worried that Mac would find out. Who cared what Mac knew now? And it wasn't even Marty, she didn't think. She wasn't so sure of what she wanted, she knew that. She missed Oscar, sleeping back in her bed at home, and she wanted to go back to him. Her tears in the shower weren't of shame but moreso relief, that finally she'd been able to – she wasn't sure – forgive him for being a prick? Probably! She smiled slightly.  
  
*  
  
Louise watched Angie working diligently on her filing.  
  
"You've got a knack," she mentioned. Angie grinned.  
  
"For filing? Thanks for the compliment." Louise laughed.  
  
"Oh I know, but don't worry we'll be giving you some more work once it comes along?"  
  
"So it's kind of seasonal then?"  
  
"You could say that. I haven't spoken to Jeff yet, but you'll most likely be in charge of the administration of the whole job."  
  
"Really?" This had to be the drug shipment, Angie thought. "When will that be?"  
  
"We thought it would be in a couple of months, but it seems only two or three weeks now. You're in luck, getting some first hand experience. But you must understand that this particular job is confidential." Angie nodded.  
  
"Oh of course."  
  
*  
  
Pete sat listening at a desk in the factory as Mac came up behind him and leant across, listening in also.  
  
"They've rushed the drugs I guess," Pete mentioned. Mac nodded, smiling.  
  
"Yep they've come under scrutiny at the other end, they want it done quickly so they can cover their tracks before the match falls into the oil so to speak." Pete grinned.  
  
"Always one with words, where's Stoney?" Mac scratched her forehead.  
  
"Um, not here, I'm off to HQ to keep them informed. If he doesn't turn up by the time I get back I'll get on the phone." Pete shrugged it off.  
  
"He will."  
  
*  
  
Oscar opened one eye, squinting at the light filtering in through the sides of Angie's thick curtains. He stretched, rolling out of bed and standing, looking around for his clothes. Hmm, he thought to himself, they weren't exactly in a visible position. He stuck his head out of the door and looked down the short hall to see one of Angie's shoes – she must have worn another pair...  
  
He walked out to the couch in the living area and there they were, right where he'd left them. He walked over, dragging on his shirt and pants as quickly as he could, aware that he was only slightly late for work, before stopping. Something wasn't quite right...He looked around.  
  
"Oh shit," he whispered, realising that it looked as though he was getting dressed in the middle of a tornado path.  
  
*  
  
Pete turned up at Angie's place quickly.  
  
"Where's Mac?" Oscar asked.  
  
"HQ, luckily for you it seems." He grinned. "How come you found this?"  
  
"She wanted me to stop by this morning, pick up a couple of things." Pete nodded, brushing past and looking through the house where uniform and forensics were working hard. It didn't go unnoticed as he walked past the empty rooms that Angie's bed was considerably lived in, considering she wasn't living in it. He looked back at Oscar, following him obliviously. "Do you think it's connected?" Pete sighed.  
  
"I'm hoping not, however this wasn't just a robbery, was it?"  
  
"No there were a couple of photos smashed – it could be robbery." Oscar still couldn't believe he'd slept through it! "What about Angie, she should know." Pete nodded.  
  
"I don't want to freak her out but she'd be the only one to tell what was missing."  
  
*  
  
Marty picked up the phone in the safe house while he was reading the Herald.  
  
"Marty this is Peter, you don't really know me. Friend of Ange's."  
  
"Oh right. She's at work at the moment."  
  
"Mate I need you to contact her and tell her to go back to her house, it's been broken into and she needs to work out what's missing." Marty paused, shocked.  
  
"Sure, I'll call her straight away."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
*  
  
Angie pulled up just before Mac. Meanwhile the uniformed officers couldn't believe it when the fourth plain-clothes arrived, an extremely senior member of the force, who seemed so interested. They spoke to Mac, showing her the information collected, as Angie was swept inside to have a look around.  
  
Mac soon caught up with them, however. They looked around, Pete and Mac not game to ask Oscar any questions, as Angie emerged from the bedroom, looking guilty.  
  
"What's missing?" She hesitated.  
  
"Um, just money and jewellery Mac." She looked over at Oscar. "It was in my room, safe to say a robbery." Angie knew it wasn't Oscar, but he hadn't woken up!  
  
"How much money?"  
  
"I always keep some outside my account in case I ever need to disappear quickly. It's hidden inside a book, about five hundred?" Mac nodded.  
  
"Better fill out a statement then. This doesn't need to be looked into by us."  
  
TBC... 


	4. Business and Pleasure, 4

Title: Business and Pleasure, Four  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part Four, disclaimer still applies! (yes, I've written so goddamn many I'm not writing them any more. Hehehehehehehehehe or maybe not...)  
  
  
  
"You slept through the whole thing!" Angie hissed as Mac and Pete shut the front door behind them. Oscar shrugged.  
  
"Well obviously I did, I'm sorry-"  
  
"It was Sam."  
  
"Now Ange-"  
  
"Don't start the 'now Ange...'!"  
  
"Didn't you give Sam plenty of money when she left?" He nodded. "I know you did. You withdrew five thousand dollars from your bank account-"  
  
"What? How do you kn-"  
  
"Mac had me look into it."  
  
"Not like that she didn't-"  
  
"Some of that was for a plane ticket, some was for her, wasn't it? So why would she need more?" Angie didn't answer.  
  
"Then who was it?"  
  
"Maybe it was just some junkie trying to get enough for a score."  
  
*  
  
Mac pulled over to the side of the road as her mobile rang.  
  
"Mackenzie...Yes Reg...What? Oh, all right...Mm, I'll keep you posted." She ended the call and dialled again. "Danni, when Pete gets back tell him to meet me in my office...and can you make sure you listen in on Angie? Mm, yeah thanks."  
  
No sooner had she pulled back onto the road than it rang again. Back she went to the kerb – that'd teach her for leaving her new hands-free set at home.  
  
"Mackenzie...Pete where are you? In my office...mmhm...They suspect one of the couriers in Indonesia- It's coming in tomorrow...Yes well, I'm not sure if she knows yet...She'll find out when they want her to. I'll get the information to her don't worry." She again ended the call and dialled out. "Oscar, do you remember the benefits of Hoovers?"  
  
*  
  
"And as I was saying every busy household should have a T-93 Hoover in cast of spillages – which are common – would you like a demonstration?" Louise smiled and so did Angie, watching on curiously.  
  
"It's all right, I'll just go and get my chequebook – you take cheques?" He nodded  
  
"Sure do. You won't regret it."  
  
"I'm sure I won't. Be back soon." She walked off quickly. Angie sidled up to him.  
  
"You like selling vacuums?"  
  
"Not my life choice but it's not bad." He lowered his voice. "Shipment's coming in tomorrow, if we're right, you're on." Angie nodded.  
  
"Just have to wait and see," she replied. Louise soon returned with a cheque in hand.  
  
"There you go, thankyou."  
  
"Not a problem miss, not at all."  
  
*  
  
Marty sat at the table watching Angie eat dinner later that night.  
  
"You okay today?" he asked. She nodded, having arrived home on time. "Going out later?"  
  
"Have to work out what's happening tomorrow."  
  
"What is happening tomorrow?"  
  
"I'll let you know when I get back. Shouldn't be too long." He nodded. She was all of a sudden distant. He didn't know why, remembering the kiss they'd shared only weeks ago.  
  
*  
  
After the meeting with the team, Angie was sitting at her desk tidying up some paperwork. Oscar came and knelt by her.  
  
"You okay?" he asked. She sighed.  
  
"Everybody keeps asking me that." She turned to him, however, and smiled. "I'm fine."  
  
"I just thought maybe, because of last night, things weren't so great between us."  
  
"Funny, I thought they were really great," she replied. Oscar nodded. "You're okay with it?"  
  
"Mac doesn't have to know."  
  
"Exactly. Um, your place this time?" He nodded. "Give me half an hour."  
  
*  
  
Marty sat opposite Sam on the couch of the safe house.  
  
"When did she say she'd be back?" He shrugged.  
  
"I'm not sure now. How've you been?" She nodded.  
  
"Pretty good actually."  
  
"Yeah?" She nodded again.  
  
"Mm-hmm!" She looked around. "So can I park it on the couch if she doesn't get back soon?" He nodded.  
  
"Go for your life."  
  
*  
  
Angie sighed contentedly, curled up in Oscar's arms.  
  
"Can I stay here forever?" she asked. He laughed.  
  
"I won't say no." She smiled, turning her head to kiss him softly.  
  
"All right then, you're stuck with me."  
  
"Oh dear," he replied sarcastically, hugging her tight.  
  
*  
  
Angie woke the next morning to Oscar shaking her gently.  
  
"Ange, wake up, eh?"  
  
"Mm," she opened her eyes. "What time is it?"  
  
"About seven."  
  
"Oh God meant to see Marty last night."  
  
"I'm sure he slept fine without you." She smiled.  
  
"About today!"  
  
"You can fill him in on the way. We'll take my car, cos you'll be using his."  
  
*  
  
Marty was waiting for Angie to get back the next morning and upon seeing her pull up in someone's else's car – Oscar, Skinny – jealousy started flooding through his mind. They both hopped out and he let them in.  
  
"You ready?" Oscar asked. Marty nodded.  
  
"Guess so mate." He turned to Angie. "Where've you been? I've been worried."  
  
"Ah, don't worry about me, I was in good hands." She went into her room to get changed – a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Marty, she was in her clothes from the previous day – and didn't see Sam until she emerged again.  
  
"Hey sis," she started, but Angie stopped her.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to see mum and dad and you before I left."  
  
"You're meant to have left already."  
  
"I know but I couldn't go!"  
  
"Madrid's a very nice place."  
  
"Look I'm moving up to Queensland."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why else? The weather!" She smiled, but Angie didn't reciprocate. "Look I just need a change. I'm doing fine. I'm off the smack."  
  
"You better be."  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Oscar intervened.  
  
"Ange, we have to go." Angie nodded.  
  
"I don't have time for this yet. Look will you be here when I get back?"  
  
"When will that be?"  
  
"Tonight."  
  
"You told Marty you'd be home last night and you weren't. I'm not such a diligent waiter."  
  
"Go to see mum and dad, they're worried. I'll be back tonight." She turned and walked outside, Oscar and Marty in tow, who gave her a slight wave.  
  
*  
  
Mac sat in the Com-V with Danni.  
  
"All units no arrest is to be made, this is strictly surveillance. Understood? No arrests are to be made."  
  
"Copy that Mac."  
  
"Yeah Mac."  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Copy that." Mac looked over at Danni and smiled.  
  
"Good," she whispered. Danni laughed.  
  
"So how come we've got four units if there aren't going to be any arrests?"  
  
"Because it seems no matter how much I try to tell drugs squad not to make a move, they stuff up, and then we'll have to compensate."  
  
Oscar opened the back door to the Com-V and came in, taking a seat.  
  
"We all set?" he asked. They nodded.  
  
"How's Angie?" Danni looked over at him.  
  
"Yeah, good I think." There was a pause before Mac leant forward and peered into the video.  
  
"Who the hell is that?" she asked. Oscar and Danni's eyes both clicked to the same screen. Oscar sighed.  
  
"It's Marty!"  
  
"Angie's supposed to be doing this by herself!"  
  
"He knows that," Danni said.  
  
"Bull," Mac replied, rolling her eyes. "Does she know he's there?" Oscar picked up the radio.  
  
"We need visual confirmation of our operative." Reg spoke.  
  
"We've got her, standing next to the no dogs off leashes sign, talking with the delivery boy. Situation normal."  
  
"Copy that Reg," he replied. He turned back. "Marty's hanging in the background."  
  
"Not for long," Mac observed, as the radio piped up again.  
  
"We have the target's informant in sight." Mac picked up her radio.  
  
"Copy that, hold back all units. Wait and see."  
  
*  
  
Angie and the 'delivery boy' turned as Marty approached.  
  
*  
  
Mac's mobile rang – it was Love.  
  
"I don't want my murder investigation compromised."  
  
"No, it won't be," she replied tartly. "We're not going to move unless a drastic measure-"  
  
"Gun!" Danni exclaimed and Mac hung up immediately.  
  
"All units move in, extreme caution, move in."  
  
Oscar cast a glance at the mobile phone.  
  
"Love's gonna love you for this."  
  
"I'm trying not to think about it," she replied, moving with Oscar and jumping out of the Com-V to approach.  
  
*  
  
Angie was sitting on the ground when Oscar ran up to her.  
  
"You all right?" he asked. She glared back up at him.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" she exclaimed. He offered her a hand and pulled her up, steadying her balance. "You shot him!" She glanced at where the delivery boy for the job was lying dead.  
  
"Marty had a gun," Oscar replied. Angie turned.  
  
"Marty?"  
  
"You didn't know he was here?" Mac asked. Angie shook her head.  
  
"But um, the guy got spooked by something, I'm not sure, he hesitated. He had a gun?" Mac nodded as Oscar replied.  
  
"Poised, ready to finish one of you off." Angie's brow creased.  
  
"I don't understand that."  
  
"You better get back to Lamenia."  
  
*  
  
Angie stormed back into the Lamenia household, where Jeff was waiting.  
  
"Did you get the stuff?" She nodded, throwing the two bags in front of him.  
  
"Got your money back too."  
  
"What?" Angie scowled.  
  
"And if you find Marty you send him to me little prick!"  
  
"What's going on?" Jeff raised his voice.  
  
"I'll tell you what's going on! Marty dobbed me in! He came up behind me and pulled a gun, tried to take it for himself, almost shot me the bugger. The guy I was giving the money to wasn't so lucky, I bolted before the cops got there!"  
  
"How'd he know what was happening?" She shrugged.  
  
"I don't know! God, he's probably in with the cops or something. Shit!" Louise came through and patted Angie on the shoulder.  
  
"There, there, sit down, we're all fine. And, we didn't have to pay for it."  
  
"He'll want the money."  
  
"Not yet anyway."  
  
*  
  
Pete was sitting with Angie and Oscar at the factory later that night, having calmed Angie down substantially, Mac was now in her office trying to convince love to calm down also. She soon appeared at the top of the steps.  
  
"Plans have changed. Pete you and I are going in."  
  
"What?" Angie exclaimed. "Am I out?"  
  
"No, you're in also. Danni and Oscar will be in charge of surveillance."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Pete asked. Mac smiled.  
  
"We...are going to offer to solve all their problems."  
  
Just then one of the bugs in the Lamenia house picked up Louise and Jeff.  
  
Louise: You find Marty, yeah?"  
  
Jeff: Already on it. He's gonna pay.  
  
Louise: Something's not quite right here.  
  
Jeff: Well when I find him, we'll know. I'm not doing anything until he talks.  
  
TBC... 


	5. Business and Pleasure, 5

Title: Business and Pleasure, Five  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part five (I have no idea how long this is gonna go for, maybe another two? Hehe)  
  
  
  
Oscar emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel to see Angie sitting cross-legged on his bed, flipping through a file.  
  
"We'll find him first," he stated, sitting behind her and letting her fall back into him.  
  
"We better." There was a pause.  
  
"Do you know why?" Angie shook her head.  
  
"No! I mean, maybe he thought delivery boy had a gun, or, or I'm not sure. Maybe he knew something that I didn't."  
  
"We don't know who he was pointing the gun at either." Angie tilted her head back to look up past his chin and into his eyes.  
  
"He wouldn't try to kill me."  
  
"Yeah, spoken to Sam?" She nodded.  
  
"Staying with mum and dad for a while. Their little angel's back home, she'll never leave now." Oscar smirked.  
  
"Somehow I highly doubt she'll be around for long, besides, you're the one they called Angela, eh?" She smiled.  
  
"Mm..."  
  
"If it makes you feel better, you're mine." She turned, raising her eyebrows suggestively.  
  
"Oh yeah?" He nodded.  
  
'Nnyep!" Angie laughed, kissing him briefly.  
  
"Oh, I love you," she said, moving in to continue the kiss, but Oscar pulled back.  
  
"What?" She looked at him as he broke into a smile. "Really?" She pretended to think and he whacked her lightly in the arm.  
  
"Hey, what do you think?!" she exclaimed, turning in his arms and pushing him down onto the bed.  
  
*  
  
Mac eyed Lamenia in the bar and sat next to him.  
  
"Hi," she started. He looked over, smiling at what he saw.  
  
"You solo?" He held up his left hand. Mac seemed disappointed.  
  
"But never you mind about that, eh?" Mac's eyes twinkled.  
  
"We'll see..." she started before standing and walking away.  
  
"Hey!" he called after her, she didn't turn back.  
  
Mac watched from the Com-V while he made it out onto the middle of the street.  
  
"He took it, nice work," Danni said. Mac smiled.  
  
"Hook, link and sinker," she replied.  
  
*  
  
The following night Angie called to say that Lamenia had just left for his usual night-cap.  
  
Mac ended the call and looked over at Pete sitting next to her at the table.  
  
"You ready?" she asked. Pete grinned – was he ever! This had to be the best assignment he'd been on in ages! She moved over and sat next to him, and they waited for Lamenia to open the door. It took a couple of minutes for him to arrive, and in that time they talked about anything but work.  
  
"Where'd you get this from?" Pete asked, reaching out and toying with the necklace around Mac's neck. She smiled.  
  
"Ah, bought it from a shop." He raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Seems it."  
  
"Hm..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's nice."  
  
"Shut up you!" she started, but spotted Lamenia. "Here he is." Mac put a hand to Pete's neck and drew him to her.  
  
*  
  
Lamenia looked over to see the woman at the back corner table, making out with some other man. He felt his heart sink but then again, if she wasn't worried about his wedding ring he was eager enough, as long as she was willing.  
  
*  
  
Mac pulled away, looking into Pete's eyes.  
  
"Get us some more drinks?" she asked. He nodded, smiling. As Mac got out of the booth and walked back to the bar, he allowed himself to grin.  
  
*  
  
"Hello again," Mac stated, parking herself next to Lamenia. He glanced over at her.  
  
"Who's your fella?"  
  
"Who says he's mine?" She grinned. "So, what's your business?"  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"I'd like you to do something for me."  
  
"How do you know I'm what you're looking for?"  
  
"Easy enough. If you do this one favour for me, we can do immense favours for you."  
  
"Oh yeah?" She nodded.  
  
"Consider us...investment specialists...if you'd like to make a profit turn, come to us."  
  
"What do I have to do?"  
  
"We'll see..." She dropped a card in front of him and again stood and walked off. This time the man from the booth joined her. They exited through the back of the bar and waited, before hearing footsteps. Pete pushed Mac up against the brick wall and so when Lamenia came to the door, all he heard was Mac and Pete getting serious, and he came no further.  
  
Mac smiled beneath Pete's kiss and be broke away.  
  
"I think we're safe," she whispered. He nodded, keeping his hands on her waist but pulling back.  
  
"You got him?" She nodded.  
  
"Mm, I think so." She rolled her lips together and grinned, before walking off ahead of him.  
  
"What?" he called, chasing after her.  
  
*  
  
Angie knocked on the office door of Lamenia the next day.  
  
"Come in," he called, and she opened the door only to see Lamenia meeting with Mac and Pete.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt," she began. "I need your signature on these-" Angie handed over three or four papers and Lamenia signed quickly.  
  
"No troubles," he replied, handing them back to her. As the door closed Pete remarked on how attractive his wife was. "Oh that's  
  
not Louise, that's Kayla, she takes care of things."  
  
"We'll be dealing with her then?" Mac asked.  
  
"Both of us."  
  
*  
  
"We found Marty," Danni called as Mac and Pete returned. "Angie's gone to see him now."  
  
"What? By herself?" She nodded.  
  
"Should be back any minute."  
  
*  
  
"Look I knew that guy all right he was going to take the chance and pull a gun on you." Angie ignored the hand he had gently contacting with her waist.  
  
"Marty," she urged. "He wasn't armed. I didn't call for help."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Look I said I'd help you, remember? You've got three choices."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"One, stay right where you are and let Lamenia find you. Two, turn yourself in to police. Three," she sighed. "You can let me handle things."  
  
"How?"  
  
"You got somewhere you can go? Or'd like to go?"  
  
"Nowhere in particular..."  
  
*  
  
"Ange, can I see you?" Mac called, and she followed her into her office. "We're wrapping this one up nicely."  
  
"Mm, I thought it would take much longer."  
  
"That was our impression."  
  
"And?"  
  
"We believe Lamenia was paid to kill those two people."  
  
"By who?"  
  
"Our only lead, leads to, um, Marty."  
  
"What?" she exclaimed. "How would he know? Why would he want them dead?!" Mac shrugged.  
  
"He'd worked with them before, spent some time with them on the inside. They had good jobs and he didn't."  
  
"Yeah, but-"  
  
"Personal vendetta Ange. Where is he?" She sighed. Could she really give him up? Mac leant forward. "Come on Ange, where is he?"  
  
"Packing up some stuff at his house." She looked down at her lap.  
  
"Thankyou," Mac assured, picking up her phone and walking out of the office.  
  
*  
  
"I don't believe it," Angie mumbled, sitting on her desk later that night. Danni had gone home and Pete and Oscar were fiddling at their desks. Oscar looked up.  
  
"He was your informant Ange," he replied. "No matter how perfect they seem, they have a flaw. All of them. You can't pretend that doesn't matter!" She looked up at the familiar term.  
  
"He was a good guy."  
  
"That got caught up in some bad stuff," Pete added. She nodded, sighing.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..."  
  
"You'll have to forget him." She nodded.  
  
"Once Lamenia finds out he's been arrested, and what for, he'll know his cover's blown."  
  
"And he'll start taking drastic measures. It's what we want." She nodded sadly, casting a glance over at Oscar, who managed a reassuring smile.  
  
TBC... 


	6. Business and Pleasure, 6

Title: Business and Pleasure, Six  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Disclaimer: They're all the same, don't own Stingers, its characters blah blah that should do me for the rest of this fic  
  
Note: All these fics, btw, can be found at my site  
  
http://www.geocities.com/lisacheerio_85/ feel free.  
  
Oooh, also, I realise that I've um, been neglecting Danni in this story – and I feel really bad – but technically the writers have been neglecting Oscar and Angie, so I'm just filling in the gaps! Hehe  
  
SUMMARY TO DATE: since it's been a long time since the previous part, just to catch you up. Angie was investigating Jeff and Louise Lamenia for drugs, murder and fake gun licences – they never quite finished that investigation before Marty stepped in and raised a gun, forcing Mac to call in the troops, who killed one of Lamenia's contacts' men and screwed the investigation. They now want Marty for attempted murder, but he's disappeared. Angie has just told Mac where he was because she could be threatened with aiding and abetting by HQ if she didn't. During this time, Oscar and Angie developed their own UC relationship, and Mac and Pete did some flirting for their covers.  
  
Part Six – this goes pretty quickly! Shouldn't be too long, and I'm going to be nice and not do what I was thinking of - yet :P  
  
  
  
Angie cast her eyes up to Mac's office, watching her sitting at her desk – all smug – and talking into her phone at a speedy rate. They were going to get Marty. They were going to get him, arrest him, take him away. So things between them hadn't worked out, she couldn't just stand by and let another person's life be ruined because of her. It was always her fault. She was the weakest link. If someone needed to nab someone, they came to good old reliable Angie to spill her guts. Of course sometimes she took a lot of talking to but eventually, always, she would spill. And she'd never really made up to all the people whose lives she'd ruined, not yet.  
  
This was her chance. She could change it all. She could fix things! She could give Marty the chance to start over. He didn't want to go back inside, she knew that. He loved his daughter, his free life.  
  
If she hadn't first courted him, he would never had ended up in such a mess – attempted murder for crying out loud!  
  
Angie flinched as Oscar came up behind her.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked. Angie shook her head, pushing her chair backwards and feeling Oscar step back immediately to accommodate her.  
  
"I'm going out," she replied. He simply nodded, watching her go.  
  
*  
  
Mac poked her head out of her office, fiddling with her jacket at the same time.  
  
"Where's Ange?" she asked of Oscar. He shrugged.  
  
"She 'went out'."  
  
"Where?" He shrugged again. "Jesus!" Mac exclaimed, reaching into her bag as she descended the steps. She took out her mobile and dialled. "Peter, I need you round there as well! Angie might be there – yes, go!" As Mac left, Oscar hesitated, before also grabbing his keys and following.  
  
*  
  
Marty opened his door no more than five minutes later only to see a flustered Angie standing on his stoop.  
  
"You packed?" she asked. He shrugged.  
  
"Pretty mu-"  
  
"Pack quicker." He watched her push past him into the house. "I'll explain soon."  
  
*  
  
The figure stood by the side of the road, watching.  
  
*  
  
"So what's going on?" Marty repeated for what he felt to be the millionth time. Angie shook her head, zipping up the last of his bags.  
  
"I'll explain on the way!" she hissed – yet again. "Come on!" She threw him one of his bags and they made their way to the front door.  
  
"Shit!" Angie exclaimed upon seeing the marked cars pulling up in the driveway. Marty was about to question her on this before she turned, partly smacking her body into his in an effort to reach the back door. Marty, confused, took a moment to follow, and he heard her voice before he caught up.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
He stopped upon his first sight of her. Angie was pushed back against one of his kitchen cupboards, a gun held firmly to her chest by what he could only make out to be a woman's hand. Neither women spoke, nor did Angie dare look his way. He thought he knew why.  
  
*  
  
Angie looked directly down at the gun pressing into her sternum, shaking. The safety was off. Opposite her, Louise rolled her lips together in anticipation, unaware of the swarm of police just outside the door.  
  
*  
  
"Police, stop!" was the call to Marty as the front screen door burst open. Outside he could hear the screech of several more tyres – they were really calling in the cavalry for this one.  
  
*  
  
Mac had her mobile in her hand as she jumped out of the car, Peter waiting for her to tell her they'd moved in, Oscar pulling up not too far behind her.  
  
*  
  
Marty didn't know what to do. He couldn't go into the kitchen, for Angie's safety, he couldn't run away. He just stood there.  
  
*  
  
"Suspected officer presence, do not shoot!" she called into the mobile before slamming it shut.  
  
*  
  
The officer in front of Marty fired, twice.  
  
*  
  
The remaining officers outside looked up as the volley of shots erupted. Those whose thoughts were not also on Angie noticed the two differing calibres, as Mac, Peter and Oscar pushed inside, Oscar some way behind.  
  
*  
  
"Officer down!" came the call as the screen door slammed behind them.  
  
Mac and Peter reached Angie long before Oscar, who was held up by a number of uniforms trying to get out through the front door. His heart jumped in his chest as he tried to push against them to get through.  
  
*  
  
"Wait!" Pete exclaimed, adding under his breath: "You little shits." He turned as Mac reached Angie, sitting against the bottom of the sink. "Wait."  
  
*  
  
Mac let her arms run down the length of Angie's, before she took hold of her blood-soaked blouse and lifted it gently off Angie's skin – no holes. Angie sighed, her eyes closed, her head leaning back into the cabinet. She reached out, finding her friend's familiar hands and squeezing.  
  
"I'm okay," she whispered.  
  
*  
  
"Angie!" Oscar called as he reached the room and saw Louise lying covered in blood also on the floor just behind Mac's heels. Pete stood and held onto him.  
  
"She hasn't been shot," Pete assured, unaware of just how close Oscar and Angie had become over the duration of this case to date. They hadn't told, and they didn't plan to, and so it seemed Oscar was going to have to play the concerned colleague only.  
  
*  
  
"Look at me and tell me," Mac replied. Angie opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face – the only reason they had been closed was to hold them in, her breath uneven for that reason also. Mac put her hand to Angie's cheek and held it there.  
  
"I'm okay," she repeated. "She just fell on me, she tried but I pushed her out and the uniform shot her – he thought she was me...She fell back onto me..." Angie started to cry and Mac, after quickly removing her jacket, put her arms around her, helping her to stand and walk as the ambulance sirens halted just outside.  
  
*  
  
Mac had been the one to take care of Angie that afternoon, taking her to the doctor and home to clean up, and they drove into the factory some time later. Danni raced up to her and embraced her tightly. Peter and Oscar did the same, and no one seemed to notice the way in which he held her, or the fact that it was for slightly longer.  
  
"Angie," Mac called softly as they broke apart. She nodded, following Mac up into her office, the door closing slowly behind her.  
  
"Lamenia had no knowledge of his wife's plans," she began. Angie scoffed.  
  
"Bull shit!" Mac paused, leaning forward.  
  
"Exactly. You need to work out what you want to do." Angie's eyes filled with tears.  
  
"Now?"  
  
"No, but soon Ange, you do."  
  
"This is all my fault," she cried, leaning forward into her hands. Mac moved to sit next to her, letting a hand sit on her back.  
  
"That cop was not meant to shoot Marty, you and I know that, but uniform have their story and they're not going to change it."  
  
"Challenge it," she managed. Mac shook her head.  
  
"We don't have that kind of power in this unit at the moment. I'm sorry. Just be glad you're okay. I am." Angie looked up at her.  
  
"Thankyou." Mac smiled.  
  
"None of that. Come on, I think someone's going out for drinks tonight."  
  
*  
  
They finished up at the hotel and paid for their drinks. As they were walking out, they passed an open function room – it looked like a wedding reception.  
  
"You guys wanna dance?" Pete joked, laughing and pretending to grab Mac and drag her inside. She pulled back.  
  
"Hey that's not our wedding!" Pete shook his head, whispering.  
  
"Damn..." Oscar laughed.  
  
"I'm sure Danni would've danced with you mate, but you know, when you're Danni and you come to a bar you just expect to get picked up and dragged out for a night on the town." Pete sent him a glare as Oscar looked over at Angie.  
  
"We're not exactly dresse-" Angie started.  
  
"Exactly," Mac added. Pete grinned.  
  
"They'll never notice."  
  
*  
  
They emerged some time later. Pete's fingers played gently with Mac's by her side but she rejected the idea of holding hands, glancing pointedly over at Oscar and Angie, who couldn't help themselves. Pete smiled over at her.  
  
"She's a good dancer, they always get the men-" he started to whisper. Mac hit him on the side of the arm.  
  
"Nothing against me of course!" He looked over at her seriously.  
  
"Of course not." Mac watched him, questioning him, but he didn't waver. All of a sudden she felt special, wanted, but she didn't let anyone see it.  
  
*  
  
Oscar got to his car with Angie before she turned to him.  
  
"I came with Mac," she started, shrugging, turning back to glace at Mac and Pete in a suddenly animated conversation, laughing just a metre or so off.  
  
"Mac," he called, and she stopped Pete talking by touching his chest briefly. She walked up to them. "Do you want me to take Angie home?"  
  
"As long as you take her home and then go back to your house so you're in different houses at the same time." She raised an eyebrow and Angie blushed a deep red. Mac felt bad, reaching out and taking her hand. "I trust you two, all right?" she stated. Angie nodded.  
  
"It's okay, I'll go with you Mac," she replied. Mac turned back to Peter, and straight back to their conversation.  
  
Oscar's hands slipped around Angie's waist as she turned back to him.  
  
"If we don't stop this, I'll lose you," she started. "And I can't lose you too." Oscar knew she was talking about Marty, but he didn't mind. He nodded, leaning in to kiss her briefly.  
  
"We'll work it out." She nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you tomor-" They were stopped by Mac breaking into fits of laughter, a side of her they'd never seen – Pete didn't seem too surprised however – he was the one holding her in his arms.  
  
"Put me down you evil, evil man!" she cursed, giggling as he spun her around and put her back on the ground. She latched onto him to control her balance.  
  
"Now walk a straight line," he urged, dangling her keys in front of her.  
  
"Hey I only had two glasses give em back!" He laughed as she ran forward and snatched them from him.  
  
*  
  
Danni and Pete stood in Mac's office the following morning.  
  
"Danni could you stay on Lamenia's tail?"  
  
"At his house?" She nodded. Danni began to gather her jacket and things from Mac's office, slowly – it had been a long night. Pete remained.  
  
"Yeah Pete?"  
  
"I was thinking, um, maybe we could do dinner some time?"  
  
"Pete-"  
  
"We never got around to it." Mac sighed.  
  
"I just told Oscar and Angie to quit it. What would it be like if I started going out with you."  
  
"We would only be going out as friends. Anything more is your decision." She hesitated. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere nice. We never got that far you know."  
  
"Not by any of my faults." He looked at her, and Mac felt herself caving.  
  
"Tonight?" he began. She sighed. "I've already made the reservations. Dress up nice." And with that, he walked out the office door.  
  
TBC... 


	7. Business and Pleasure, 7

Title: Business and Pleasure, Seven  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part seven (There'll be more parts than I thought, but they're shorter than I planned anyway) :P It gets a bit whacko here, but I needed an idea. hehe  
  
  
  
Mac was genuinely sorry as she reached into her bag for her mobile later that night. However, Pete still held one of her hands to his across the intimate table. He massaged her fingers for only a moment, letting her know he understood.  
  
"Mackenzie..." Almost at the same time Peter's mobile rang. He smirked – this was impossible. Reluctantly he took his hand from Mac's and answered also.  
  
"That was Oscar" "That was Danni" both said at the same time as they hung up.  
  
"You first," Pete started. Mac nodded.  
  
"Oscar," she wasn't smiling. "Angie's disappeared, Pete. All her things, including her car and its keys, are still at home. She hasn't shown up to meet Oscar and he says that where, um, they're at, that wouldn't happen without her telling someone."  
  
"Danni just called to let us know the taxi pulled back into the house – your mobile was engaged." He smirked.  
  
"Lamenia back home for the day?"  
  
"Uh, not quite...The cleaner arriving." He shook his head. "Lamenia hasn't been home." They watched each other for moments.  
  
"I think we should get the bill," Mac whispered.  
  
She stood as Pete returned, taking her jacket and slipping it onto her arms and shoulders for her.  
  
*  
  
Angie breathed heavily, nervously, that night as she skirted the edge of the lake. She paused, and couldn't hear anyone following any more. Of course, that didn't mean there was no one there. She rested, leaning against a tree trunk, but gasped as her hand slipped into a hollow in the bark. Her fingers resisted the clutch they found, but she held onto the soon familiar object. She looked around. The lake...the tree... She took her hand out of the trunk, staring in the dark into her palm. She was just able to make it out – an old broken compass – and she knew whose. She couldn't believe it. All this time she'd thought she was in the middle of nowhere, that she was lost. But she wasn't. She wasn't!  
  
*  
  
Angie waited in the bushes for another half an hour at least. No torch, no footsteps. Finally her heart settled to a certain extent, the cool night air at last reaching her skin, her temperature falling. She looked around. Though it had been a long time since she'd been there, she remembered.  
  
Twenty minutes later, she slowed from her loose jog to a walk. Inside, not more than a hundred metres away now, there were still lights on - unusual for country folk who were early risers, but good for her sake.  
  
*  
  
They turned, shocked, at the knock on the back door. The younger man opened the sliding glass for her. Her eyes skirted his face.  
  
"Brad," she recognised aloud. "Can I use your phone?"  
  
"Phones are out," he replied, letting her step inside. "Do I know you?" He didn't remember, cursing himself inwardly, for certainly this girl he would have remembered! She nodded, hugging herself protectively as the two elder people approached her cautiously.  
  
"Michelle?"  
  
*  
  
Angie wiped tears from her eyes as Charlie returned from next door, almost half an hour later.  
  
"Phones are out everywhere," he mumbled, sitting opposite her. Shirley had insisted on 'Michelle' having a shower and warming up, and though she had asked, Angie hadn't explained anything. 'I don't want to get you in trouble,' was all she replied.  
  
"Um, it's okay," she said now in response to Charlie. "I think he left, I think I'm safe here." Shirley sighed, getting worked up just seeing Angie so scared and worried.  
  
"From who?" she urged again.  
  
*  
  
Oscar, Pete and Danni gathered in the factory first thing the next morning. Mac was at HQ. They had just found Lamenia. He was dead, drowned, about two hours out of town. Mac arrived with this news as Oscar's mobile began to ring.  
  
*  
  
Mac and Oscar arrived at the Pierce farm almost exactly two hours later. Angie was sitting outside, a uniformed officer standing above her. He readied himself as Angie stood, biting her bottom lip. Mac and Oscar jumped out of the car and Oscar ran to her. Angie burst into tears as the metal dug into her wrists. Mac looked over at the uniform, revealing her ID.  
  
"Uncuff her," she ordered. Upon seeing such a prominent sergeant on the case, he didn't hesitate. As the cuffs were removed, it took Angie a moment to tell her arms it was okay to move again. She hugged Oscar around the neck tightly.  
  
"Angie," Mac started softly, reaching out and rubbing her back as Angie cried.  
  
"I killed him, I killed him!"  
  
*  
  
Mac let Angie's statement rest on the coffee table. Oscar's parents had so nicely vacated the lounge room for police use.  
  
"Oscar!" Mac called. He poked his head out of the kitchen, where his family was at the moment standing around, talking amongst themselves.  
  
"Cam!" he repeated. She blushed, mouthing 'sorry'. "Yep?"  
  
"You got a tape recorder?" He nodded, watching Angie look down at her lap and exhale deeply. He moved off to his room to get it, returning a moment later. Mac switched it on.  
  
"Ange, can I hear it from you?" She nodded silently, before beginning.  
  
"I was getting ready to go to Oscar's, but when I got home he was waiting for me – Lamenia – and um, I fought but he got me into his car. I passed out for most of it, I don't remember..."  
  
"Just tell me what you remember," Mac urged. "It's all right."  
  
"Um...I thought we'd been driving for hours and hours when I woke up. I was still in the boot, I was having trouble breathing, but when the car stopped I, I tried to work out what to do. We were um, stopped on loose gravel or stones or dirt, I'm not sure...He stopped, and he came around the back. It was dark, I noticed it as he opened the boot. He had a knife but I kicked him as soon as I was able – he hadn't tied me up..." She paused and Mac nodded. "I um, I jumped out and ran away. He followed me. I didn't know where I was going, but, I think now it was the valley just down-"  
  
"Don't worry about that for now Ange."  
  
"Okay, um, he was following me. I couldn't run, not after everything. I was too tired. I was sick of almost dying and I guess I just wished he'd had a gun instead of a knife, because if he'd shot he would've hit me easily. I, um, I fell soon after, onto these rocks. There were a couple of loose trees but it was on a slope...I tried to stand and keep going but he's much bigger. He was really tired too though, I kept kicking him and he had lost a lot of control over the knife. Um...I think then I managed to pull away and run up the slope. He was too heavy to do it as quickly as I could and um, I lost him, but he went around and caught up to me again. I tried to call for help but I didn't think anyone would hear me. I thought I was in a national park or something...Um...He came up behind me, and I turned, punching him in the face. I think I hit his eye or nose or something like that. I kicked him again and..." She looked up at Oscar and Mac. "And he went down. I didn't look back, I just ran and I hid, in um, the scrub near the lake. I couldn't see if he was still lying there in the dark, but he didn't come and find me. I found the compass by accident – it was Oscar's when he was younger, broken now. But then, I, I guess I just came back up...here..." she started crying and Mac switched off the recorder as Oscar hugged her. Mac looked behind her for the uniforms. They were standing near the door, along with Oscar's family, who finally had a decent explanation. The officer in charge spoke.  
  
"He hit his head when he fell, rolled down the embankment and his head ended up in the water. Passed out, no oxygen, drowned."  
  
"You charged her with murder because she punched him?" She raised her eyebrows. He didn't flinch.  
  
"We're taking her down to the lock up for the day until the prosecution decide what they want to do."  
  
"This won't go to trial."  
  
"Whether it does or it doesn't, you don't have authority on this case. I do. You're her friends, that's all. No offence."  
  
"I could easily get authority on this case. This was an accidental death." The uniforms proceeded to move forward, gently breaking Oscar from Angie and helping her stand, taking her hands behind her back. "You think she's dangerous?" Mac challenged. "Leave her free." The officer in charge thought, before nodding to his colleagues, and taking Angie by the elbow instead, leading her out.  
  
"No visitors until tomorrow."  
  
Mac crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked down as Oscar stood also.  
  
"She'll be right," he assured. "She won't talk." Mac nodded.  
  
"Bastards. First Marty now this."  
  
"You think there's something in it?"  
  
"Oh I know the-"  
  
"Ahem."  
  
They stopped talking and turned to where Shirley, Charlie, Brad and Shane all stood expectantly.  
  
"Is it Ellen?" Shirley asked. Mac nodded.  
  
"You're welcome to stay here, if you like." Mac managed a smile.  
  
"Thankyou."  
  
"Sorry for this guys," Oscar apologised. His father shook his head.  
  
"Why did you tell us her name was Michelle?" he asked. Oscar looked over at Mac - she nodded.  
  
"Well, um, Mac and I here aren't the only ones who have to be careful with our names. Angie works with us..."  
  
*  
  
Pete looked over at Danni as Mac's phone call interrupted their conversation.  
  
"Everything okay?" he asked, and listened carefully as Mac explained.  
  
"I need you to do me a favour," she started.  
  
"Anything-"  
  
"We never had this conversation."  
  
"What conversation?"  
  
"To make it easier on her, deal with the Marty/Louise thing."  
  
"Deal how?"  
  
"I want that officer to go down for wrongful shooting, I want you to prove he believed Louise was Angie, and that he still fired."  
  
"I can do that. What about up your end?"  
  
"I'll make sure they treat her fine."  
  
*  
  
Bligh smiled as the reporting officer pressed 'stop' on the tape player, ending the recorded conversation.  
  
"I want all of them," was all he said.  
  
TBC... 


	8. Business and Pleasure, 8

Title: Business and Pleasure, Eight  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part Eight.  
  
Mac raced down to the two cells at the local station. Angie was in the far one, sitting with her back to Mac, leaning against the metal.  
  
"Ange," Mac started, and she turned, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"I don't want to be here."  
  
"I know," she knelt beside her. "You need anything?"  
  
"You think you could get me a blanket from over there? In that cupboard? A pillow maybe?" Mac nodded, smiling. She walked over and bundled a couple of sheets and so forth into her arms, bringing them back to her. "Is Oscar coming?"  
  
"They wouldn't let him." She reached in, letting her hand run along Angie's cheek. "We're going to get you out. You're not meant to be here."  
  
"They said, um, I'm being sent back to the city tomorrow morning."  
  
"What? Who said that?" she shrugged. Mac tried not to let her confused and ultimately scared expression filter through to Ange, but they knew each other too well. "I'm staying here tonight. I'll see you before you go, all right?" Angie nodded, hesitating. "It's going to be all right."  
  
"I only hit him," she maintained. "I didn't know where I was, how could I know he'd hit his head? I couldn't see any sharp rocks, it was dark!" Mac nodded, tears running down her cheeks also. "Have you spoken to Pete and Danni?"  
  
"Yeah, they said they miss you, they love you, they're helping you."  
  
"Tell them thankyou." Mac smiled through her tears, nodding.  
  
"I did... I did..."  
  
*  
  
Mac let her hands sink into her pants' pockets as she stood with Oscar on his property.  
  
"You ready?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah, said goodbye just before you arrived. She's okay?"  
  
"She will be."  
  
*  
  
Bligh stood.  
  
"Timing is everything gentlemen." They nodded.  
  
*  
  
Pete jumped out of his desk as Mac and Oscar drove back into the factory.  
  
"They've got her at the usual, medium security, women's section." Mac nodded.  
  
"Got it on my way back. How did that other thing go?"  
  
"It didn't. I had a tail on my way there, so I came back."  
  
"Tail?" Oscar asked.  
  
"A friendly tail," Pete replied. Mac's mobile rang.  
  
"Mackenzie..." Her face drained of blood.  
  
*  
  
Mac got out of her car, the air swirling around her. She looked around at the ambulance also pulling up, but being held back by police. There was nothing they could do – they were simply couriers on this one.  
  
Time stopped.  
  
Every footstep echoed in Mac's head as she watched herself walk towards the gate, turning to her side and revealing her ID to the line of security officers. She took off her watch, placed her bag in a plastic box and walked through the gate. She was met by more security. Briefly she turned her head back, looking through the gates. She felt for a moment something touch her, a shiver running up her back. No, she told herself, not yet.  
  
The path was cement, the air stale. She was led into the dormitory. Her mind was in control mode. Right foot, left foot, one in front of the other. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, feeling her hands slide around her waist and finding comfort in the touch.  
  
It didn't take them long to reach the police tape. It was lifted up for her, and she bent over, crouching to slip under it. As she straightened, she had to force herself to keep her eyes open.  
  
She took a step forward, her eyelids fluttering as she reached out, touching Angie's leg, tinging purple with lividity as the steady blood became subject to gravity.  
  
Mac looked up, tears stinging her eyes. She heard the security guard explaining in the background.  
  
"Suicide's are common of police thrown into jail. Finally get a taste of their own medicine." Suicide...  
  
Mac fought back tears.  
  
"Take her down," she whispered, turning, finding strength. "Take her down!" Forensics and the medics moved quickly, leaving the coiled sheet wrapped around the deceased's neck. They lowered her to the cement floor, before leaving. Mac felt herself kneel beside Angie. She looked at the bloodshot eyes, the vessels that had popped under the strain. She reached out, closing them for her, something she would never be able to do again. She looked her over – her best friend. Suicide – bull shit! She took Angie's hand in hers as two hands slipped around her waist also. She felt someone kiss the back of her neck gently.  
  
Mac squeezed Angie's hand, and for the first time ever, it didn't squeeze back. She sighed, beginning to sob.  
  
"I'm sorry Angie," she whispered. "I'm so, so, sorry." She started crying and Pete pulled her from Angie. He reached out, feeling the two women's hands, one much warmer than the other, and breaking them apart. He took Mac's in his and she turned to him as he helped pull her up. "I'm so sorry," she repeated into him as he led her out of the now cold, lifeless cell. "Angie I'm so sorry, Angie..."  
  
*  
  
Mac got out of her car at the factory. Oscar and Danni stood. Mac walked straight up to Oscar, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks in rivers once again, and pulled him to her. He sighed, tears escaping his eyes also as Mac attempted to compose herself.  
  
"They said, um, it was suicide," Pete attempted. Danni took his hand.  
  
*  
  
Oscar walked up to the casket, turning back for a moment, watching Danni, Pete and Mac sitting in the front row, ready to start. In the background Shirley and Brad entered, taking a seat towards the back. Such a big part of him didn't want to be here, but there was no way he was missing this. No way. The last time he saw her, he hadn't even said he'd loved her. He'd almost lost her twice beforehand, and now she really was gone. She was gone and it was his fault, his badge's fault.  
  
Oscar knew she hadn't committed suicide. Even if she had, she wouldn't have not said goodbye to him, or to Mac. Or even to Pete or Danni. They were family and now...now, they weren't.  
  
*  
  
The four of them returned to their cars after the burial. Mac stopped in her tracks and the others looked up as Bligh approached with his entourage. They seemed to single out Mac and Pete, as Danni and Oscar took a step back.  
  
"Ellen Mackenzie, Peter Church, you're under arrest for conspiracy. You have the right to remain silent-" Mac resisted the urge to cry out as the uniform behind her pulled her cuffs too tightly, scraping against her bone. "Know that anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one may be provided for you..." Mac looked over at Peter. He had no idea what was going on either.  
  
However, Mac then looked over her shoulder at Oscar and Danni. The officer behind her pushed her forward, and she fell onto the grass at Bligh's feet. With no hands free to shield herself, she rolled onto her side, feeling her head scrape the ground, grass brush her eyes, nose and mouth.  
  
"She's resisting arrest sir," the uniform stated officially.  
  
"Hey!" Danni called. "She was n-" Oscar reached out and grabbed her arm, and she knew not to go any further.  
  
"Please pick her up," Pete stated. Bligh looked over at him. The cemetery was deserted except for their party, and so there were no witnesses but those present. He leant forward, over Mac.  
  
"Are you going to resist Ellen?" he asked. It took her a moment before she shook her head. Bligh looked back up, nodding. The uniform grabbed her around her waist and hauled her back onto her feet, the fact that her hands were cuffed behind her making it difficult for her to balance on her own. Mac's head hung around her shoulders as Pete watched her, begging her inwardly to look over at him, but she wouldn't.  
  
*  
  
Two weeks later Danni sat opposite Mac on the park-like bench.  
  
"Even when you do make bail they don't leave you alone," she mumbled, glancing over at the suits trying to make themselves inconspicuous against the greenery – it wasn't working. Danni smirked.  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I'm okay, Bligh wants to make a deal." She paused, not wanting to sound too eager, but this was the first time she'd been able to talk outside the ears of others – she hoped – for many days. "You seen Pete?" Danni nodded, smiling.  
  
"He's getting a bit of rough treatment. Mac," she leant forward. "They want to send you back in there, you know. They're going to, too."  
  
"I know, but I can't go back. The only reason I got out at all was because while our names change, our faces don't." She sighed. "I got scared, I guess."  
  
"Pete says he misses you." Mac nodded thanks.  
  
"Oscar?"  
  
"He's not doing so well. But we're doing everything we can to find some evidence this wasn't your doing. So far, though, Mac there's not too much out there."  
  
"Yeah...Bligh's efficient. Just, Danni, don't get us thrown in the slammer for good."  
  
"I won't."  
  
TBC... 


	9. Business and Pleasure, 9, FINAL

Title: Business and Pleasure, Nine  
  
Author: Leese  
  
Email: lisacheerio_85@yahoo.com  
  
Note: Part Nine – FINAL – basically just a wrap-up of everything! It's slightly soppy, but I had to do it, couldn't help myself :-D  
  
  
  
Mac ignored the catcalls as she was led through the minimum-security rec room and into the back yard, where there was a row of cells next to a small garden of flowers.  
  
"Number three," the guard said to her. She nodded, and he left her be. Mac bit her bottom lip as she walked up and knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
She opened it slowly. Peter stood as he saw Mac enter.  
  
"You're early." She nodded. "Like this place I've got here? It's for those who can't be kept with the others. Security reasons."  
  
"There've been threats?" she whispered. He shook his head.  
  
"Not that I know of." He reached onto his side table, beside the bed, picking up a bunch of the flowers from the garden outside. "For you," he stated. Mac walked forward. As she took them Pete's hand wrapped around hers and she inhaled deeply. Pete's other hand brushed her cheek and she let her eyes close, her lips meet his. Pete pulled back suddenly, moving over to the window and closing the curtains. "Pervert guard," he mumbled, turning back to her, his arms outstretched.  
  
"Danni and Oscar, um," she fiddled with the bright yellow, orange and pink flowers in her hand. "They um, Pete-" He walked quickly to her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Bligh had a stroke, last night." Pete's eyes widened as she nodded in affirmation. "And um, Danni and Oscar found – in his house – Angie's file, and lots of scribbled notes and details of payments." Tears reached Mac's eyes and her voice cracked. "Proving that Angie was murdered, and that he was behind it-" She put her hand to Pete's chest to stop him walking forward to hug her – she wanted to finish. "And um, and they found the officer who shot Marty. He's going to testify it wasn't you that made him run, so we never did anything. Conspiracy isn't conspiracy unless the act is carried out, if it isn't it's just a fantasy. I, um," she managed a smile, ducking her head. "I was released about an hour ago. Your papers are being processed now." Pete watched her. While she'd stopped talking for now, he knew she still wasn't finished. "Bligh's notes, point to um, who killed Angie. They're arresting them now. There's going to be a proper trial and everything-" She finally broke down and Pete moved forward, holding her to him.  
  
"Did Danni pass on my message?" She nodded, her lips meeting his neck. She looked up at him. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
*  
  
"What happens now?" Danni asked. Mac looked into her lap, before meeting Danni's eyes.  
  
"We start again." She paused. "Two new operatives will be joining the unit, Peter's being promoted." She smiled at the announcement. "Sergeant. Um-" Mac looked around. "Where's Oscar?" Pete walked into Mac's office in time to catch the last comment.  
  
"Leaving." Mac stood at his intonation.  
  
"Now?" He nodded. She brushed past them both, out the door, in time to see Oscar about to get into his car. "Stoney!" she called. It was probably one of only a handful of times she'd called him by that name, and he turned. "Where you going?" He turned, keys still in the car door.  
  
"Away for a while." Mac knew he wasn't coming back. She nodded.  
  
"Don't I get a goodbye?" she asked. He smiled, nodding and hugging her.  
  
"You're the best boss ever, Angie loved you," he whispered in her ear. "So do I." Mac nodded.  
  
"Look after yourself." Oscar took a step back, turning and waving to Pete and Danni. Mac watched him drive away, and stood there until the roller door finally grinded to a halt back in its position. She turned to Pete and Danni, who hadn't moved either. "Three, new operatives," she corrected.  
  
*  
  
Mac held up a bottle of champagne as she stood on Pete's doorstep some time later.  
  
"I got the job," she said straight away. Pete laughed, letting her inside, his hand lingering on her waist as she entered and he took the bubbly from her.  
  
"Amazing – you have no experience."  
  
"I was a detective! Investigative reporting is no different." Pete smiled. "You even have informants."  
  
"Yes, you do."  
  
"And you're mine." She paused. "No such thing as contractual secrecy around me, is there?" Just checking, she thought. He laughed, taking her chin by his fingers and drawing her to him.  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
*  
  
ONE YEAR LATER...  
  
Oscar stood at the alter, feeling nervous. He had no right to be nervous really, but he couldn't help it. He watched his brother beside him.  
  
"We are here today to celebrate in holy matrimony..."  
  
*  
  
Danni sat at the cheap restaurant, talking.  
  
"You want to count it to make sure?"  
  
"I think I might, yeah," the target replied. There was a moment of rustling. "It's all here."  
  
"Just like I said," Danni managed as she received the small packet across the table. "It's all there."  
  
*  
  
Inside the Com-V Pete was jumping out of his seat.  
  
"Come on, come on!" When he heard the code he grabbed the radio. "All units move your arses, now!" Karen looked over at him, smirking. "Hey I have limited time for this! I shouldn't even be here." As he heard the target's rights being read over Danni's wire, he jumped out of the Com-V. Danni met up with him quickly. "I gotta-"  
  
"Go, go," she finished.  
  
*  
  
"Do you, Bradly Walter Pierce take Jessica Donahue to be your lawful wedded wife...?"  
  
"I do," Brad replied, looking over at Oscar for support. He smiled and nodded, but he wished so much it was he. If only she was still alive. If only he could see her, talk to her, touch her. They could be a family by now. He fought back tears. This was his brother's wedding, no time for grief, but that didn't stop him feeling it.  
  
*  
  
Pete raced back into the hospital to the right front desk.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Ah, you're back," the nurse noted. "No word yet." Her brow creased. "Nice timing, I thought you said you'd be longer."  
  
"I usually am. But I couldn't miss this." She nodded.  
  
"If you wait over there, I'll let you know as soon as I hear."  
  
*  
  
Danni joined Pete half and hour later, taking his hand as she sat down.  
  
"Hey," she stated. "Anything?" He shook his head. "She'll be fine."  
  
"Yeah, I know." A doctor appeared and the nurse pointed him in Peter's direction. He stood.  
  
"Peter?"  
  
"Yep?"  
  
"You've got a daughter-" Pete smiled. "Everything's fine. She's being taken to the nursery now-"  
  
"What about the operation?"  
  
"They're still working on her. Shouldn't be much longer until we hear a final result. It's been quite difficult to remove-"  
  
"I know, just-"  
  
"Would you like me to take you to your daughter?" Pete hesitated.  
  
"Yeah, sure." He looked over at Danni, and she nodded, smiling.  
  
*  
  
Oscar looked at his family having fun, and he realised that his friends could have families by now, and he wouldn't know, not having returned their calls. He had just needed some time. And something inside him told him that time was finished. It was time to stop living what other people wanted him to live, and go back to 'his' life. That night, he left a note on his parents' pillow, took an overnight bag, and drove back to the city in search of something else.  
  
*  
  
Oscar found Angie's headstone no troubles, even in the dark of that night. There was a streetlight nearby, which helped. He sat down opposite it. Slowly, he reached out, touching the grey marble, feeling his fingers sink into the engraving.  
  
"It's been a long time," he began. "I miss your smile." Fighting back tears, he continued. "I know you're here with me though. Angie, I don't know how long I'll be here, but one day I'll be with you. I promise you. I promise."  
  
*  
  
Pete held his tiny baby in his arms as a different doctor approached.  
  
"Peter – congratulations," he began. Pete nodded.  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"We believe we got it all..."  
  
"That's good, right?"  
  
"I'm afraid though, that while we were able to remove the benign tumour, there was some nerve damage." Pete's eyes widened.  
  
"How much?"  
  
"She's in recovery now, and as soon as she's strong enough she'll be tested."  
  
"Can I see her?"  
  
"When she's out of recovery." He went to walk on but Danni stopped him.  
  
"Wait. What kind of damage are you expecting?"  
  
"Some of the nerves were enclosed in the tumour. It was impossible to foresee this and I'm afraid to stop the tumour regrowing, they had to be removed."  
  
"Then there'll be definite damage."  
  
"The extent of which I can't tell you just yet. I'm sorry," he replied, walking on. Pete looked down at the infant in his arms, letting his finger run along her face.  
  
"Mummy's going to be just fine," he whispered softly as she opened her eyes, closing them soon afterwards.  
  
*  
  
Oscar returned to his apartment after driving to pick up some Chinese food only to see the light on inside. He hadn't left the light on! He got out of the car and opened the front door.  
  
"Hello?" he called. He could hear someone moving about, and they stopped at his voice. "Hello?" he repeated. "Who's there?" Voices soon rose again.  
  
"Quick, quick just take it."  
  
"It's got a serial number."  
  
"We'll deal there's no cash come on Jon's waiting!"  
  
Oscar ran to the sound of the voices only to be met with a group of youths escaping out the back window.  
  
"Hey!" he called. The last one turned, pulling his gun and firing warning shots to help with their escape.  
  
He was a pretty bad shot, and Oscar moved too quickly, falling to the ground as the alarm was raised by the surrounding lodgers. He looked down at the wound in his gut – he wasn't getting out of this one, he knew – blood seeping quickly out. There was no time...no time...  
  
"Sooner...rather than later, eh..." he managed to say to himself as he let his eyes close as the front door was entered by a number of people. "Ange..."  
  
*  
  
A nurse approached Danni.  
  
"You know Peter Church?" She nodded. "There's a call for him. Bryan Grey, from Armed Robbery."  
  
"I'll take it, he's with his family," she replied, following the nurse back to the station.  
  
*  
  
Mac's head rolled in the flat pillow until Peter came into view. He was holding her hand tightly.  
  
"She okay?" was the first thing she said. He nodded, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair.  
  
"She's healthy and gorgeous. They said they'd bring her in a bit later, when you're recovered a bit more."  
  
"Soon then?" He nodded. Neither of them spoke for some moments, before Mac stated the obvious – she was going to have to, it was tearing her up inside. "I can't walk," she whispered. Tears stung Pete's eyes.  
  
"But they got it, they got it all Mac. It was benign, but they got it all."  
  
"I know," she bit her bottom lip, a tear rolling across her face and down onto the pillow beside her ear.  
  
"And we have a beautiful daughter, and you're both healthy, and you're going to be fine, I'm going to look after you." Mac nodded, reaching up and pulling Pete down to hug her loosely. When they separated, he too had tears on his cheeks. "And it's not like you haven't lost all feeling. The doctors, they told me that," he put his hand on her upper thigh. "You could feel this." Mac nodded as he squeezed her thigh supportively.  
  
"Yes I can feel that," she replied, shaking. She reached up and let her hand rest along Pete's face. "I love you." He took her hand in his.  
  
"I love you too." Their lips met briefly as Danni opened the door after a soft knock.  
  
"Guys," she started. Pete looked up. Mac had been admitted to hospital after collapsing two months earlier due to the appearance of a tumour toward the base of her spine – almost seven months pregnant at that time-, and it was the first time Danni had seen her in a week at least. "Grey and Love were called to an AR. It was Oscar." She went on quickly. "I'm so sorry for coming in here now, but he just called and Pete, he wanted you to know." Pete nodded.  
  
"He was in the city?"  
  
"He'd just got back. His parents have been contacted. They said, um, he left a note, saying he missed us all too much and was coming back to start again. He came back to see us, Angie..." she drifted off. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but Pete shook his head. "I'll go down and identify him?" He nodded.  
  
"That would be best."  
  
"Um, I'll be back in the morning. Take care." She closed the door softly behind her as Pete turned back to Mac.  
  
"Probably went to the cemetery, came back to the unit-" Mac took his hand.  
  
"At least he's with Angie now." Pete nodded, before beginning to shake his head.  
  
"I love you Mac."  
  
"We'll get through this." They both nodded as the door opened and the nurse beckoned Pete outside. He returned moments later with their then- sleeping daughter, helping Mac to move over slightly so that he could lay her on the bed next to her, considering Mac was in no condition to sit up yet thanks to the caesarean. She reached across her with her good hand and let her finger touch her daughter's face. A tear rolled down Mac's cheek and Pete felt his heart tear in his chest.  
  
"Looks just like you," he smiled. Mac looked up at him.  
  
"What are we going to call her?" Pete hesitated.  
  
"I was um, thinking, um, we should call her Angela – our little angel, yeah?" Mac nodded. "Angela Mackenzie Church?" She bit her bottom lip.  
  
"Both our names?" He grinned, shaking his head.  
  
"Narr, that's her middle name. Church is her last name, it can be yours too, you know."  
  
"Can it?" He nodded, opening his palm to reveal a ring.  
  
"You could always marry me, like you said you would." Mac smiled, looking between their daughter and Pete, and nodding as he slipped the ring onto her finger.  
  
"I like that name," she replied softly, as Pete leant down and kissed her.  
  
*  
  
A YEAR OR SO LATER...  
  
  
  
"Pete – door!" Mac called. Soon enough she heard his hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the kitchen. Their new house was spacious, large enough for her chair – which she admitted she didn't really like – but for when she was by herself. When she wasn't, well, Pete's touch was much more comforting. She looked back down at Angela, who was sitting up on the rug and playing with a ball that Mac was rolling to her across the ground. She heard voices in the entrance but ignored them. They'd come through when they were ready. Angela had looked up at the voices, however, and had lost interest in the ball. Mac used her arms and leant forward, tugging on her shirt. "Eh!" she said in a baby voice. "Who's that?" Angela looked at her and smiled, her tongue sticking out – something Pete had taught her, and she loved it. She knew it was cute. "Who is it?" Angela giggled. Mac smiled, biting her bottom lip. Angela's eyes lit up as Pete appeared over the top of the couch.  
  
"What are you two doing?" he asked. Mac smiled, letting a hand run through her hair, hanging around her neck in a long bob once again.  
  
"Who was at the door?" she asked. Pete looked over at her.  
  
"Ah well see I can't say until I get you onto higher ground." He walked around and knelt down as Mac reached up and held onto his neck, Pete lifting her off the rug and carrying her over to the kitchen bench, sitting her on it. Mac narrowed her eyes playfully. He had a way of moving her without telling her why. She'd been in hospital for almost a month recovering and in rehab, and the house had been prepared for a while beforehand. The first night she was taken home he had carried her into the bedroom and made love to her – she hadn't know what on earth he was up to until he'd started 'assisting' her in removing her clothes – the whole thing was done in complete silence from the moment he got her out of the car, Angela in tow. She laughed, remembering. "What?" Pete asked. She shook her head.  
  
"Why am I up here?" she asked. He held up a finger, turning and picking Angela up off the floor – she was much lighter, but he was keeping fit and working out in order to help Mac around – and handing her to Mac. Mac admitted she loved the additional muscle factor he'd developed in the last six months especially. "Pete..." she started.  
  
"You're about to be ambushed," he simply said as he left back down the hallway. She heard him say to whoever was down there: "Right now she's holding Angela, so be nice."  
  
She heard Danni laugh.  
  
Pete poked his head around the corner and looked at Mac, whose eyebrows were raised in an all-too-professional manner.  
  
"Peter-" She was cut off as Danni and Karen appeared – Karen the female recruit to the unit for the past two years – both with smug looks on their faces.  
  
"Mac, Mac-Mac-Mac," Danni tisked. Karen grinned as they moved forward. Mac looked over at Pete. He'd told, the little bugger! "We heard the good news."  
  
"But of course we can't trust this husband of yours," Karen added. "Is it true?" Mac played along.  
  
"Is what true?" she asked as Angela sat on her lap.  
  
"Are you pregnant?" Danni asked. Mac had confessed to Danni their desire to have more than one child, and she'd been extremely supportive of Mac, helping baby-sit and get her used to not being able to do everything she could in the past – Danni had had a wet-from-tears shoulder for a long time, and she was over the moon that they seemed to be finally settling into a new lifestyle, Pete himself only on light duties at work and considering changing jobs, Mac writing a column for a national magazine, something she was able to do from home. And now...Danni looked up at Mac as she broke into a smile.  
  
"I think Pete here's pretty trustworthy about that sort of stuff," she replied. Danni grinned.  
  
"Can I give you a really big hug then?" Mac handed Angela to Karen, and Danni proceeded to give her the really big hug. Karen congratulated Peter and handed Angela to him. He smiled, moving up and as Danni broke from Mac, he reached out, letting his hand rest suggestively on her thigh – where he knew she could feel it – and kissed her. Mac held onto him tightly, starting to lose her balance and laughing. Pete quickly passed Angela to Danni and got her off the bench, into his arms.  
  
"Couch, chair, live it up cos in six months I'm not going to be able to do this-" Mac laughed.  
  
"Well how about we sit on the couch then?" He nodded, looking fondly into her eyes as he sat her down, leaning forward and kissing her softly, Mac not wasting a moment and kissing him back with all the passion she could muster. Danni and Karen didn't really mind, they did it all the time. Mac fought back tears as Pete pulled away – however reluctantly (he wanted to take her into their room so badly) – and looked over at Danni and Karen, who'd taken up seats around them also.  
  
"So how's work?" Mac asked. Karen shook her head.  
  
"Oh no, no work-talk tonight." Mac rolled her eyes.  
  
"Come on guys!" They shook their heads.  
  
"Nuh, only rec-talk, Pete made us promise." Mac looked over at Pete. He smiled.  
  
"Wouldn't want to put you to sleep," he started. Mac scoffed.  
  
"Oh no of course not! I'm sure it was a really boring day." They nodded.  
  
"It was, yeah," he replied, letting his arm pull her to lean against him. "Onto the better things in life, what's doing this weekend?" Mac smiled as the conversation grew around her, Pete's arm holding her secure, one hand caressing her still-flat tummy. Finally, after everything, she felt safe and loved, and she hoped that somewhere, Oscar and Angie were feeling the same way.  
  
The End. 


End file.
